GraphQL has human usability benefits, but could it be used throughout the entire stack? In our featured post, Diana Suvorova, front-end engineer at Uber, explains how GraphQL could be the one data model to rule them all, including server-server communication.
We're also excited to review AssemblyAI, a powerful speech-text service that recently won our Best Public API of 2020 competition. We also welcome Katherine Coyle to the blog to discuss ins and outs of a Utility API strategy — essentially one platform offering many business utility APIs.
Within your average stack, many competing data models exist. In particular, the duplication and overlap become apparent if you happen to have separate back-end vs front-end protocols. GraphQL was created for server-client to appease consumer-centric API designs. Compared with Protobuf, the GraphQL spec provides native support for building connected data models at scale — such as type extensions and schema delegation. With a better serialization format and support for modern transport protocols, GraphQL could take over server-server communications too.
Speech-to-text and audio transcription has been a Holy Grail for machine learning and artificial intelligence researchers for some time. The seemingly simple act of turning speech into text is, in fact, not simple at all. That’s what makes AssemblyAI so exceptional. Dylan Fox created AssemblyAI after seeing firsthand how difficult it was to create open-ended transcription software while working at Cisco. Not only is open-ended transcription prohibitively difficult to implement, but it’s also resource-intensive. This is why a SaaS like AssemblyAI is such an invaluable resource...
API usage in the modern enterprise has skyrocketed in recent years, with a number of API providers jumping to cover demand. While previously, providers created language-specific SDKs, this method has become outmoded. However, a new, more versatile approach has begun to take root, offering a library of API genres to encourage agile business plans and increased scalability for both small and corporate-level organizations. We believe that going forward, enterprises should be API-led — an effective Utility API strategy is the digital enterprise’s future, with adoption rates expanding rapidly through all sectors...
Writing JSON code isn’t a huge task but, validating and parsing JSON is a bit difficult. When you print JSON through a program, it becomes difficult to understand what’s written inside since all the formatting is removed when the code is compiled. A variety of JSON resources are available, and each comes with a range of distinctive features and constraints. Of course, your particular requirements will determine which resources to use. In any case, comparing all such tools would go a long way to equip you with unique JSON abilities...
OpenAPI is one of the most efficient ways to ensure your data is accessible for as many API consumers as possible. OpenAPI is also firmly in keeping with the original democratic, egalitarian spirit of the Internet, with its utopian vision of high-quality data and information for everybody. Below, we take an in-depth look at OpenAPI — a good introduction for newcomers and a review for seasoned API developers alike. OpenAPI Specification allows you to describe a REST API using a standardized format...
What exactly constitutes breaking change in terms of web APIs? And how can we avoid it? One of the trickiest aspects of being a software provider is managing change. On the one hand, you want to continually evolve your offering, adding new features, and improving old ones to maintain your competitive edge. On the other hand, you know that continuity is paramount to your developers, so changes should have minimal impact on existing integrations. In any case, something you definitely want to watch out for is breaking change, which can cause your clients’ applications to fail...
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