API Development

A SaaS company had five different teams building five different integrations to pull customer data.

Each team reverse-engineered database queries. Each implementation handled authentication differently. Each made different assumptions about data freshness. And when the schema changed, all five integrations broke.

They didn't need better documentation. They needed a proper API.

What API Development Actually Does

We design and build APIs that serve as the definitive interface to your data and business logic.

These aren't just endpoints exposing database tables. We architect APIs with proper authentication, rate limiting, versioning, caching, and error handling. Developer experience is a first-class concern.

Internal teams get consistent, well-documented interfaces. External partners get reliable, scalable access. And when requirements change, you update the API - not every integration.

How It Works

We design APIs following REST or GraphQL patterns, depending on your use case.

API architecture:

Schema design - Model your domain with clear, intuitive resources and relationships
Authentication & authorisation - API keys, OAuth 2.0, or JWT-based access control
Rate limiting & throttling - Protect backend systems from overload
Caching & performance - Redis or CDN caching for frequently-accessed data
Versioning - Support multiple API versions for backwards compatibility
Documentation - OpenAPI/Swagger specs with interactive testing
Monitoring & analytics - Track usage, performance, errors, and adoption

We deploy APIs on serverless platforms (Azure Functions, AWS Lambda) or containerised services (Azure Container Apps, AWS ECS) depending on traffic patterns and latency requirements.

The system scales automatically from 100 requests per day to 100,000 per minute.

Real-World Results

A fintech platform was building custom integrations for every banking partner that wanted to connect.

Each integration took 6-8 weeks of engineering time. The code was duplicated across integrations. When core business logic changed, every integration needed updates.

We built a unified API platform that:

Exposes customer account data, transaction history, and payment capabilities
Handles authentication via OAuth 2.0 with scoped permissions
Implements rate limiting (1000 requests per minute per partner)
Provides real-time webhook notifications for account events
Includes comprehensive documentation with code examples
Tracks usage and generates analytics dashboards per partner
Supports versioned endpoints for backwards compatibility

The outcome:

Partner integration time reduced from 8 weeks to 3 days
Engineering team reallocated from integration work to product features
API uptime 99.97% with sub-200ms p95 latency
12 partners onboarded in first 6 months
Zero integration breaks during platform updates

New banking partners now integrate through standard documentation instead of custom engineering projects.

What Makes This Different

Developer experience is the product

APIs are the interface developers interact with. We prioritise clear documentation, intuitive design, helpful error messages, and consistent behaviour.

Built for scale from day one

Rate limiting, caching, and auto-scaling are standard. The API handles production traffic without performance degradation.

Security and compliance built-in

OAuth 2.0, API key management, request signing, audit logging. We follow industry best practices for authentication and data protection.

Versioned for stability

Breaking changes don't break existing integrations. We support multiple API versions and provide migration guides when deprecating endpoints.

Common Use Cases

Customer-facing API Provide external developers or partners with programmatic access to your platform.

Internal service API Create consistent interfaces between microservices or internal applications. Prevent teams from hitting databases directly.

Mobile app backend Build APIs optimised for mobile clients with efficient data transfer and offline-first patterns.

Third-party integration hub Unify access to multiple backend systems through a single, well-designed API layer.

Data platform API Expose analytics, reporting, or data science capabilities through structured endpoints.

Technical Stack

TypeScript / Node.js - Fast, scalable API implementation
Next.js API Routes - Serverless API endpoints for lightweight use cases
GraphQL - Flexible queries for complex data requirements
REST - Standard HTTP patterns for straightforward resources
OpenAPI - Automated documentation and client SDK generation
Authentication - OAuth 2.0, JWT, API keys
Caching - Redis, CDN caching for performance
Monitoring - Application Insights, CloudWatch, Datadog

What You Get

A production-ready API with comprehensive documentation, authentication, and monitoring.

Developers (internal or external) get OpenAPI/Swagger specs, code examples, and interactive API explorers for testing.

The API includes proper error handling with clear messages, rate limiting to protect your infrastructure, and versioning for backwards compatibility.

Monitoring dashboards show request volumes, latency percentiles, error rates, and usage by client or endpoint.

All code and infrastructure belong to you. No proprietary platforms. Full control over deployment and evolution.

Getting Started

API development delivers the highest value when you:

Have multiple teams or partners building integrations to your systems
Experience frequent integration breaks when backend changes occur
Want to expose functionality to external developers
Need to coordinate between microservices or distributed teams
Are building mobile apps that need efficient backend communication

If your engineering team spends more than 20 hours per month on custom integrations or integration maintenance, you're spending $60k-100k annually on work that a well-designed API could eliminate.

Schedule a discovery call to discuss your API needs. We'll assess your current integration landscape, design API architecture, and provide clear cost-benefit analysis before development begins.