API Platform Architecture

Ensure scalability, reuse, and governance across your API and platform components.

Outcomes

• Cut redundant APIs and reduce cloud platform costs

Related metrolines

• Platform Architecture Line
• API Design Line

Why it matters

When APIs scale across teams, your platform must enable governance and reuse without blocking speed. This station shows how to architect APIs for longevity, security, and efficiency.

Entry criteria

• The API meets a clear business need and is reusable for multiple API consumers.
• The goal of the API is to hide backend data models and discrepancies.
• The value proposition validates with key stakeholders.
• API consumer segments (internal and external) are identified.
• High-level roadmaps for API development are established.

Exit criteria

• The API architecture uses patterns that promote reusability and integration, and is validated with stakeholders.
• The goal of the API is to hide backend data models and discrepancies.
• The API’s design and endpoints have a clear connection to their business value and features.
• API has a consistent design with our other API products.

How it works

1. The Business Impact Canvas helps to identify and mitigate risks related to API availability, security, and functionality to support informed architectural decisions.
   Business Impact Canvas Design a scalable and secure API platform architecture that meets business and technical requirements.
2. Map the regulatory, compliance, and network locations of API providers and consumers to ensure accessibility and compliance.
   Location Canvas Map API provider and consumer locations to ensure compliance and performance across regions.
3. The Capacity Canvas aligns business transaction patterns, future consumption trends, and technical solutions to ensure API scalability and performance.It provides critical input for scaling decisions and infrastructure planning.
   Capacity Canvas Plan API capacity to meet current and future business demands, ensuring scalability and performance.
4. Define and monitor performance metrics (e.g., API calls, latency, error rates) and adoption metrics (e.g., NPS).
   API Metrics And Analytics A resource for defining, collecting, and analyzing API performance and usage data to align technical KPIs with business outcomes.

Apply in your work

Establish a scalable, secure, and compliant infrastructure for API operations. Provide guidelines on architecture best practices.