API
Also known as: Application Programming Interface
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What is API?
An application programming interface is a defined contract through which software components request data or operations from one another. This profile connects the concept to KBY's practical engineering guidance.
An API specifies available operations, inputs, outputs, errors and authentication rules independently of its implementation. APIs may use HTTP, messaging, language-level calls or other transports, and good contracts manage compatibility, versioning, rate limits and failure behaviour explicitly.
Expose controlled software capabilities through a stable, documented interface.
- System-to-system integration
- Exposing application capabilities
- Microservices communication
Explore related technologies
13+ resources for API
Browse by purpose, from definitions and learning through operations, diagnostics and controlled recovery.
Learn and operate with API
Ordered as a reader progression -- from core definitions through to operational reference -- using only the content already connected in the technology registry.
Systems Engineering(12+)
Learn the architecture, concepts and engineering context.
- Making Software Architecture Easier to Recover with APIA bounded API workflow becomes recoverable through idempotency keys, bounded retries and versioned rollback, validated in an isolated environment before any production change. Open
- Software Architecture Guardrails for APIA bounded, evidence-led workflow for changing an API contract safely: dual-running, staged traffic shift, explicit stop conditions and a tested rollback to the prior route. Open
- Software Architecture Reliability Checks with APIImplement bounded API reliability checks with observable success criteria and safe recovery paths. Open
- Circuit-Breaker Isolation Boundaries for a Bounded API Software Architecture WorkflowHow to add a circuit-breaker and bulkhead isolation boundary around one API dependency, with staged shadow-to-enforcing rollout, explicit validation and a prepared rollback path. Open
- Rolling Out a New API Version Without Breaking Existing ConsumersA bounded, evidence-led method for rolling out a new API version behind an existing gateway using weighted traffic splitting, explicit validation gates and a rehearsed rollback path. Open
- Running a 5% API Canary with Health GatesA bounded, evidence-led workflow for routing a small percentage of API traffic to a new deployment, validating it against explicit thresholds, and rolling it back deterministically if it fails. Open
- Weighted API Routing with a 30-Minute Observation WindowA bounded, evidence-led approach to introducing weighted canary routing into an API-based software architecture, with explicit validation gates, security boundaries and a rehearsed rollback. Open
- Planning a Reversible API Routing ChangeHow to design, validate and recover one bounded API architecture change with explicit evidence, bounded failure containment and a fixed rollback path. Open
- Progressive API Delivery with Argo Rollouts and Canary GatesA bounded, evidence-led approach to introducing and safely recovering a single API-mediated architectural change, using a routing boundary as the containment mechanism. Open
- Idempotent API State Changes with Compensating ActionsA bounded, failure-aware pattern for implementing a software architecture workflow on an API, with explicit validation stages, failure containment and a defined rollback ladder. Open
- Safe API Order Creation with Idempotency KeysHow to design, canary-deploy, evidence-check and safely roll back a bounded API architecture change without treating any single layer as trustworthy on its own. Open
- Contract-First API Releases with OpenAPI Diff and KubernetesA bounded, evidence-led workflow for designing, validating and safely recovering an API-implemented software architecture, from contract-first layering to canary rollback. Open
Config Traps(1)
Recognise and avoid known failure modes.