The tech industry is moving toward cloud and serverless infrastructures. This shift isn’t without its challenges. Complexity is growing in microservices stacks, containerization, and continuous delivery. With a code-first approach, services can be vulnerable to development bottlenecks and program breakage, especially as complexity grows. This is where API-first development comes in.

The main difference between code-first and API-first is that instead of starting with code, API-first programs begin with design, planning, mocks, and tests. Having a planned infrastructure during development and before implementation allows new features to be built as independent services. So, when a particular service is broken or overloaded, remaining services can still function successfully.

In this talk, Ankit Sobti will discuss how an API-first approach creates the backbone to robust, powerful programs that are resistant to breakage. In addition, he will walk through using mocks and tests to optimize feedback in early development, and share concrete examples of API-first development. By the end of this session, you will understand why and how API-first has the potential to create higher functioning and more flexible systems in the future.