Contract design
Consumer workshops, schema drafts, and SLA targets before implementation locks a bad interface.
MODERNIZE A PLATFORM
API Development
REST, GraphQL, and event-driven APIs with contracts, versioning, and developer experience that scales.
Overview
How we approach api development.
APIs fail teams when contracts live in Slack threads and versioning is improvised under pressure. We design consumer use cases, schemas, and SLAs first — then ship production interfaces with auth, rate limits, and docs other teams can build against.
OpenAPI or GraphQL schemas, sandboxes, and observability are part of delivery. If integrators need a private channel to guess behavior, the API isn’t done.
The point
Interfaces other teams can build on without Slack as the integration layer.
Deliverables
Concrete contracts, not just endpoints.
Every engagement leaves other teams with APIs they can build on — versioned, documented, and observable without Slack as the integration layer.
- API roadmap with consumer use cases and SLAs
- OpenAPI or GraphQL schemas and versioning policy
- Auth, rate limits, and security checklist
- Production APIs with tests and CI/CD
- Developer docs, sandboxes, and example clients
- Observability dashboards and handover runbooks
Engagement Model
Design the contract, ship a consumer-ready API, embed platform work, or keep version care.
API delivery
Fixed-scope production API with auth, tests, docs, and a sandbox consumers can try immediately.
Platform embed
API engineers join your platform team to expand domains and enforce consistency across services.
Version & SLA care
Deprecation policy, consumer migration support, and reliability work as traffic and clients grow.
Timeline
From consumer contracts and schemas to documented production APIs.
Week 1
Consumers, SLAs, and schema draft
Map use cases, auth needs, and versioning rules. Draft OpenAPI/GraphQL before code solidifies bad shapes.
Weeks 2–3
Implementation and sandbox
Ship core endpoints with tests, rate limits, and a sandbox consumers can hit without production risk.
Weeks 4–6
Harden and document
Observability, example clients, developer docs, and load checks against the agreed SLA.
Launch
Consumer onboarding and handover
Onboard first clients, set deprecation policy, and transfer ownership of contracts and runbooks.
What we need from you
Consumers and security rules that shape a usable contract.
Real integrators and auth constraints beat an endpoint list invented in isolation.
- Named consumer teams (internal or partner) and their use cases
- Auth and identity standards you must follow (OAuth, mTLS, API keys)
- Non-functional targets: latency, rate limits, and availability
- Existing systems of record and ownership for write paths
- Preference for REST/OpenAPI, GraphQL, or event-driven edges
Common mistakes we help avoid
API mistakes that create integration debt.
We design delivery so these don’t become your partners’ daily pain.
- Shipping endpoints without a published schema or versioning policy
- Using Slack as the source of truth for breaking changes
- No rate limits or auth review until abuse or a security finding
- Docs that lag the implementation by months
- Ignoring consumer onboarding — “it’s in Swagger” is not a launch
FAQs
Answers before we get on a call.
REST or GraphQL?+
We choose based on consumer needs and your platform norms. Contracts and versioning discipline matter more than the style badge.
Do you provide developer portals?+
When needed — docs, sandboxes, and example clients. At minimum, published schemas and a path for consumers to try safely.
How do you handle breaking changes?+
Explicit versioning, deprecation windows, and migration notes. Silent breaks are treated as incidents.
Can you wrap legacy systems behind a clean API?+
Yes. Many engagements expose stable contracts while the underlying systems modernize in slices.
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