2024 State of API Report

API priorities & outlook

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Software development is experiencing a major shift, with more organizations moving from a code-first approach to an API-first approach.

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74% of respondents are API-first in 2024, up from 66% in 2023.

Quote

Postman is a playground—with governance—that allows developers to discover, test and execute PayPal APIs quickly. The easy-to-use UI provides backend visibility and makes cross-collaboration easy.

Christina Monti, Senior Technical Product Manager, Developer Relations, PayPal

API ownership: Who's in charge?

API creation and management vary depending on the organization's structure. Here's how teams approach API development:

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48% of respondents say API creation is owned by the development team, driven by demand.

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48% say a central team oversees API strategy and governance, ensuring consistency across projects.

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Furthermore, 40% of all respondents report a business-oriented directive guiding API development, with a focus on revenue generation and external partnerships.

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Key insight

Some companies are still leveraging an Architect to drive API design through governance and control, but this alienates the person who actually designs the API—developers. The de-centralization of API design is on the rise and Postman Collections have become the tool of choice as they enable the generation of Open API from collections—then enable design time governance.

API investment surge

With 48% planning to ramp up API investments, the message is clear: APIs are the future. Meanwhile, the 10% cutting back risk falling behind in the innovation race.

More time and resources on APIs: 48%
Less time and resources on APIs: 10%
Same time and resources on APIs: 42%

The rising shift from code-first to API-first

Software development is experiencing a major shift, with more organizations moving from a code-first approach to an API-first approach.

Illustration of a star inside a box, symbolizing a key insight.

Key insight

74% of respondents are API-first in 2024, up from 66% in 2023.