This article is part of a multi-part series about interesting APIs that were added to our directory during 2017. App Development Tools and DevOps APIs are covered in this segment. The APIs were chosen by our researchers, by popularity according to website traffic, and by mentions on social media.
Developers looking to make their life easier can turn to ProgrammableWeb’s directory and discover plenty of tools for building, deploying and monitoring Applications. This segment of our most interesting APIs added in 2017 series includes APIs for Authentication, Testing, DevOps, Microservices, Motion, Content Management, Push Notifications, Cloud, Backend, API Design, Hosting, Servers, NoSQL, Performance, Backup, and Monitoring.
In October, 2017, Google, IBM, Twistlock, JFrog, Red Hat, Black Duck, Aqua Security and CoreOS announced Grafeas, an open source API that provides metadata for containers. The Grafeas API allows users to store, query, and retrieve critical metadata about software artifacts, add new metadata types and providers, query all metadata across components in real time, control read/write access to critical metadata and more. With the API, companies can combine data to build a comprehensive model for security and governance at scale.
Grafeas captures metadata along the software supply chain Image: Google
The Google Cloud Functions API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Google Cloud. Example API methods include retrieving operations, managing operations, and retrieving and managing projects and their functions. The Google Cloud Functions API has both REST and RPC references and is currently in beta. For more information, read our API University tutorial about Getting Started with Google Cloud Functions.
OneLogin is an Identity and Access Management (IAM) provider for enterprise. OneLogin SAML API (SAML stands for Security Assertion Markup Language) can be implemented for logging users into applications based on their sessions in another context. OneLogin WAM API enables developers to integrate processes of authentication, access control, session management, agents and more into business applications. OneLogin SCIM API is a system for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM). It provides developers with methods for managing users and user IDs.
Amazon Web Services Lightsail offers developers virtual private servers (VPS) and associated features such as virtual machines, storage, DNS management, and data transfer. The Lightsail API allows developers to access virtual private servers through Web Services. API methods include managing hosted domains, retrieving data from Lightsail, and managing server functions. The idea behind Lightsail is to launch virtual private servers with a few mouse clicks. The service is supported by 28 zones spanning three data centers in the US, three in Europe, and four in Asia Pacific. There are eight Lightsail SDKs as well.
Microsoft Intune provides mobile device and application management services in the cloud. The Microsoft Intune Graph API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Microsoft Intune with other applications and to create applications. Example API methods include managing applications, retrieving user data, and pushing data out.
The JSON fiddle API allows users to store, access, and edit JSON files online to test their applications. This API works with any device or stack and is CORS (Cross Origin Resource Sharing) enabled. Once a user hosts their JSON data, they are provided with an access code that allows them to update it.
Octopus is a visual content platform that delivers visual (photos, VR, video, 3D) content to applications and platforms. The Octopus REST API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Octopus with other applications and to create new applications.
Programmatically access Octopus visual content platform with their API Image: Octopus
The Aerospike API integrates NoSQL databases into Web services. It is accessible with Java, CSharp, C, Go, NodeJS, Perl, Python, Ruby, and Erlang languages. Connectors include Hadoop, plugins, and sessions. Aerospike includes geospatial and geographic replication features, along with scalable and open source properties.
Mackerel offers a server monitoring platform that supports role-based architecture, graphs, and notifications. The Mackerel API allows the configuration of several alert notification channels to monitor the condition of server resources. Additionally, Mackerel can be used to monitor sales, views, and latency.
Monitor servers and visualize metric data with the user-friendly Mackerel Image: Mackerel
The Google Activity Recognition API will enable applications to detect users’ physical activity using low power signals from multiple sensors in the device. It automatically detects activities by periodically reading short bursts of sensor data and processing them using machine learning models.
Google Activity Recognition API helps developers understand what users are doing physically Image: YouTube/Google Developers
Pushy offers a notification service that uses Apple Push Notification Service for iOS devices, and the MQTT protocol for Android devices. For users located in China, Pushy offers delivery to AOSP devices due to Google services being unavailable or unreliable. The Pushy API supports methods for device information, device presence, send notifications, status, and subscriptions.
Semaphore provides developer tools for testing and delivering code and products. The Semaphore CI API offers an out of the box CI (Continuous Integration) server designed to hasten deployment processes. Developers need only to push newly updated code to the cloud to test it, then Semaphore deploys the code with Docker for continuous delivery. Semaphore offers several plans for deployment, and a 30 day trial is also available.
How set up continuous integration with Semaphore CI in less than a minute. Video: YouTube/Rendered Text/Semaphore CI
Sync Ninja offers services that turn code into microservices that can be called via an API. The Sync Ninja REST API allows registered developers to access and integrate the functionality of Sync Ninja and microservices with other applications.
Scrum is an agile software development framework for managing product development. Scrumwise provides a simple Scrum tool that allows users to predict delivery date, create and manage backlogs, plan releases and sprints and more. The Scrumwise API allows developers to programmatically access and modify data in Scrumwise.
Scrumwise is an agile product development platform supporting Scrum Image: iTunes/Scrumwise
Scaphold is a backend-as-a-service provider that provides application development, managing, and deployment using GraphQL. The Scaphold GraphQL API allows developers to Scaphold with other applications, create and manage applications, run searches, and manage users.
Stackery is a platform for building, testing, managing, and deploying serverless applications. The Stackery REST API allows developers programmatic access to the platform. API methods include managing responses, managing users, and managing applications, among others.
Dead Man’s Snitch is a service that monitors scheduled tasks such as daily backups, monthly emails, hourly cron jobs, and Heroku Scheduler to ensure that they actually run. The service then alerts the user if tasks fail to execute. The Dead Man’s Snitch API allows developers to access and manage “snitches”, which are used to monitor scheduled tasks. This API could be used to automate the developer’s monitoring workflow or build a custom monitoring dashboard.
