There’s no denying that the web in 2010 is all about APIs. From Twitter to Netflix, Facebook to Foursquare; there’s a way for developers to build on top of almost every every hot service.
The problem for developers is getting the most out of those APIs and Apigee is a service that aims to help them do just that. Coming out of private beta today, it is also launching new tools to make working with the Twitter API much easier.
Developed by Sonoa Systems, Apigee offers a suite of tools for developers allowing them to test, debug and protect their apps. An analytics service (which Sonoa describes as “Google Analytics for APIs”) allows developers to see exactly where, when and how their apps are being used.
Although Apigee works with just about any API, Apigee is launching specific tools for Twitter developers today to tie in with Twitter’s Chirp developer conference.
If you’re a beginner wanting to learn how to develop for Twitter or an expert looking to test new ideas, Apigee’s new Twitter console replaces tedious reference documents and command lines with point and click access to everything Twitter has to offer under the hood.
The console will be rolled out to support other APIs over time, but all developers can use Apigee’s other tools right away.
The service makes debugging a social process, with developers able to take snapshots of troublesome code and share it with others to collaborate on a solution within the service, while the analytics service is eerily (but reassuringly) similar to the Google Analytics interface
It is free to use in its standard form, with Sonoa charging to customise the service for specific developers’ requirements.
Apigee’s launch comes at a good time. Twitter investor Fred Wilson recently listed analytics as one area that third party companies should focus on as it was something Twitter was unlikely to offer itself. An added bonus for Twitter developers using Apigee is that the service has a whitelisted IP allowing it to offer users 20,000 API requests per hour, much better than the default 150 requests.
No matter the API, Apigee is an impressive package that should make developers’ lives much easier.
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