You're navigating a complex system architecture. How do you handle dependencies among third-party APIs?

First, identify the capabilities you are getting from the third-party system. Build your own interface based on internal knowledge or industry standards (such as BIAN, TM Forum, or IATA) to stay independent of the third party. Connect this abstraction layer to the third-party system through data mapping, LLMs are useful in this regard. Use GraphQL APIs if you're dealing with multiple resources, as it simplifies integration for the channels. Ensure security measures and other non functionals are engineered in this layer to protect the enterprise from those third party systems. Under any circumstances do not inherit the data models from third party systems. You are locked into that third party for ever.

Todo projeto onde foi necessária a conex?o com uma API de terceiros, entende-se que antes da conex?o efetivamente foram realizados entendimentos, dependências, atualiza??es, conectividade entre outras formas para fazer com que a inclus?o inicial fosse efetivamente necessária. Pergunto, se ao invés de ser uma API de terceiros fosse uma API desenvolvida internamente, você n?o teria que ficar cuidando se tudo o que a API estava projetada para realizar continua realizando? N?o teria que dar manuten??es no seu código e por consequência avaliar esta altera??o no seu software principal? Ent?o, para mim, sempre que um código está externo, seja terceiro ou desenvolvimento próprio, à solu??o principal, o cuidado com as dependências é fator crucial.

Map out all APIs, classify them based on type of data (e.g. PI, financial, etc), plan defensively and in a way you can monitor and protect against downtime and API changes. Identify any type of data mapping and ensure you do not build mapping within your core systems, APIs will eventually change.

Map out all dependencies and assess the impact of each third-party API. Implement version control, monitor performance, and set up fallback mechanisms. Communicate with API providers regularly and ensure your system is adaptable to changes or disruptions.

Enforce strong API contract with 3rd Party APIs, to maintain minimum level of compatibility across updates. Have an Automated Contract verification tests to make sure they are not broken. In case of uncontrolled 3rd party APIs, have adaptors to utilize to those services. This will make sure fixes due to update in the API spec is restricted to only a thin layer of code. In case of dependency in terms of time of availability of the APIs, its essential to have a clear plan for the delivery of the services and also its critical to have adaptors and mocks.

In the dependency graph I would also write down the owner of the communication protocol, are you using a library, module releases by the service you are interacting with or are you responsible for writing that on your own. Because that will determine the scope of the responsibility for maintaining it under the lifecycle.

In a modern application, such as an online retail platform, each service (e.g., inventory management or product recommendations) needs to communicate with others to function properly. These complex interactions can lead to issues, such as the overloading of certain services. The Service Mesh steps in to efficiently manage the flow of data between services, minimizing downtime and optimizing the application's performance.

Após entender as funcionalidades e requisitos de cada API, identificar quais partes do sistema dependem delas é fundamental para garantir uma integra??o harmoniosa. A sugest?o de criar uma representa??o visual ou gráfico de dependências é especialmente útil, pois permite visualizar as interconex?es entre APIs e identificar pontos críticos de intera??o. Essa abordagem facilita o gerenciamento das dependências ao longo do tempo, especialmente quando surgirem atualiza??es ou altera??es nas APIs, ajudando a evitar que uma mudan?a em uma API cause problemas inesperados em outras partes do sistema. Ao visualizar a cadeia de intera??es, as equipes técnicas podem tomar decis?es mais informadas e manter a integridade do sistema.

If we're talking about API dependencies within an application, a Service Mesh could be a solution. A Service Mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that manages communication between different services within an application. Unlike other communication management systems, this layer is directly integrated into the application, making it easier to control and optimize interactions between services.

Para lidar com a complexidade das dependências entre componentes do sistema e APIs de terceiros, é essencial ter uma abordagem sistemática e detalhada. Após obter um entendimento claro de cada API, o próximo passo é mapear essas dependências para visualizar como elas se integram no ecossistema do sistema. Come?o identificando todas as APIs de terceiros em uso e documentando suas funcionalidades, pontos fortes, limita??es e requisitos específicos, como autentica??o, autoriza??o e limites de uso. Essa documenta??o detalhada serve como uma base para entender onde cada API se encaixa dentro do sistema.

Version control your API tests in the same project as the API implementation. Great for error traceability and for shortening the feedback loop from discovery to fix.

By charting out which parts of your system rely on which APIs, you get a clear view of the interactions and potential choke points. A visual dependency graph is your compass, guiding you through updates or changes without getting lost in the jungle of dependencies. Think of it as the ultimate cheat sheet—when the treasure (or, in this case, system stability) is on the line, it’s your key to navigating safely!

When integrating with third-party APIs, I ensure that our system can handle API versioning gracefully. This involves supporting multiple versions of an API simultaneously or being prepared to handle breaking changes introduced by the API provider. I always prefer to stay on stable, long-term support versions and monitor any upcoming changes that might affect the system.

When managing third-party API integrations, version control alone isn’t always sufficient to handle the complexities of updates. Implement feature toggles to allow selective enabling or disabling of new API versions within your system. This approach lets you roll out API updates gradually, testing their impact in a controlled environment. If issues arise, you can easily revert to the previous version without disrupting the entire system. Feature toggles provide flexibility, enabling you to manage updates more safely, mitigate risks, and ensure a smooth transition as APIs evolve. This strategy enhances your ability to maintain stability while embracing necessary changes.

O controle de vers?o é crucial ao integrar APIs de terceiros, pois atualiza??es podem introduzir mudan?as que afetam o seu sistema. Utilizar sistemas de controle de vers?o ajuda a manter a compatibilidade com vers?es específicas, facilitando a gest?o de modifica??es inesperadas. Definir um protocolo de atualiza??o, incluindo testes e implementa??o gradual, é uma prática recomendada para garantir que as mudan?as n?o causem interrup??es no sistema.

Managing dependencies between third-party APIs in a complex system architecture requires a set of practices to ensure the integration is robust, scalable, and maintainable. Safety is important: - Ensure that API keys and access tokens are managed securely, using tools such as vaults to manage credentials. - Implement rate limiting control to avoid exceeding limits imposed by third-party APIs. This way you can build a resilient and flexible system, capable of effectively managing dependencies on third-party APIs, while minimizing the associated risks.

Another thing I have found helpful is to stay updated with API changes -- keeping yourself updated with any changes or updates to the 3rd party APIs you are using, including new features, deprecated functionality, and potential breaking changes that may impact your system, goes a long way in ensuring a more robust system architecture as it evolves.

Avaliar a estabilidade e confiabilidade dos provedores é fundamental para prever possíveis falhas e se preparar para elas. Implementar mecanismos de fallback, como disjuntores e sistemas redundantes, ajuda a evitar que falhas de uma API afetem todo o sistema. A negocia??o de SLAs também é essencial, pois estabelece garantias de desempenho e suporte, oferecendo mais seguran?a e previsibilidade para a opera??o da aplica??o.

Managing third-party API dependencies is all about preparing for failure. First, assess the stability and reliability of your providers. APIs can and will fail, so implementing circuit breakers helps prevent cascading failures by stopping calls when things go wrong. Redundant systems or fallback options ensure continued operation in case of an outage. SLAs are important, but don’t rely on them entirely—negotiate strong terms for performance and support, but always plan for failures because even the best services can go down unexpectedly.

I implement fallback strategies and graceful degradation techniques to handle situations where the third-party API might be down or unresponsive. Circuit breakers, retries with exponential backoff, and alternative workflows ensure the system remains operational, albeit with reduced functionality, when external services fail.

Incorporating contract testing into your development pipeline is crucial when integrating third-party APIs. Contract testing ensures that the API's responses match the expectations set by its interface, allowing you to detect breaking changes early. By defining and validating these contracts, you can automatically verify that the API adheres to its documented behavior with each update or deployment. This proactive approach reduces the risk of unexpected failures and ensures smoother integrations. By catching discrepancies early, you protect your system from cascading errors and maintain robust, reliable API interactions throughout the development lifecycle.

Making sure that message exchanges flow correctly in API integrations is essential for maintaining a reliable system. By carefuly monitoring how messages are transmitted and handled (i.e. structure of the requests and responses), you can identify issues such as incorrect data mapping, timing discrepancies, or edge cases. This proactive approach allows you to detect problems early, ensuring that API interactions function as intended. Consistently testing message flows also enhances system stability, resulting in more seamless and predictable communication between different services and components.

Write tests for the APIs before you implement them: Fuel Point of Sale systems are pretty complex, due to extensive Trade and Standards regulations. After the pain of the complxity of connecting the Point of Sale and Forecourt systems, we developed a Forecourt Simulator. We were able to test most of the system before we had the physical device delivered. And we could test the code the instant it was written. A side effect was that Product Managers and Presale Experts also used the simulator in shows and in early sales activities. That Wowed customers on numerous occassions.

To mitigate the risks associated with third-party dependencies, I incorporate comprehensive testing strategies. Mocking third-party APIs during unit tests, running integration tests with actual API calls in a staging environment, and including these tests in CI/CD pipelines helps catch issues early.

Incluir testes de unidade, integra??o e ponta a ponta é essencial para cobrir todos os possíveis pontos de falha. A utiliza??o de servi?os fictícios para simular respostas de APIs é uma prática valiosa, pois permite testar o sistema sem depender diretamente dos servi?os de terceiros. Testes automatizados aceleram a detec??o de problemas quando ocorrem mudan?as nas APIs ou no próprio sistema. A execu??o contínua de testes ao longo do ciclo de desenvolvimento é fundamental para manter a robustez e a confiabilidade do sistema.

Handling 3rd party APIs requires strong program management skills. The APIs can affect stability, they can be incomplete & prone to changes/versions. Through communication, risk mitgation and strong planning you can mitigate issues. However to maintain your software you need Performance measurement & automated testing. The tools must be integrated into your CI/CD pipeline. In a recent project we executed at AU79 consulting, we had to request the 3rd party to not change the existing APIs just before the demonstration, but rather implement a new version for their changes. This helped mitigate risks & also gave us an opportunity to see if the new feature can be accomodated.

Proactively monitor APIs and show that on information dashboard/radiators: A team working on a customer services analytics product added such a monitor. On the day of deployment, they found a bug introduced by the Research Team. The latter initially denied and even played down on the team. As soon as they realized its their bug, Trust jumped up a notch between the teams!

Performance Monitoring: Track API response times and error rates to identify performance bottlenecks. Usage Analysis: Analyze API usage patterns to optimize your system's design and resource allocation. API Evolution: Stay informed about changes to third-party APIs and adapt your system accordingly to maintain compatibility.

Robust monitoring and logging are critical for understanding how third-party APIs are performing. I set up detailed logs and metrics to track response times, error rates, and usage patterns. This data is invaluable for diagnosing issues quickly and for making informed decisions about optimizing or replacing API integrations.

O uso de ferramentas de monitoramento permite rastrear métricas como tempos de resposta, taxas de erro e padr?es de uso, fornecendo dados valiosos para otimizar as chamadas de API e identificar a necessidade de atualiza??es ou substitui??es. Essa abordagem proativa permite ajustes rápidos na arquitetura à medida que as APIs evoluem, garantindo que o sistema se mantenha eficiente, estável e alinhado com as mudan?as do ambiente tecnológico.