APIs, Networking & Integration Topics
API design, management, and integration patterns including REST, GraphQL, and other protocols. Covers API contract design, versioning strategies, error handling, idempotency, deprecation planning, and SDK/integration frameworks. Includes system-to-system integration, webhook patterns, and integration platform considerations. Excludes network infrastructure and network-layer protocols (see Network Architecture under Cloud & Infrastructure or a dedicated networking category if needed).
SDK and Client Library Design
Packaging an API for developer consumption via SDKs and client libraries: ergonomic method surfaces, auth handling, pagination helpers, retry/backoff built in, error mapping, and versioning of generated or hand-written clients. Covers cloud/mobile SDK design, code generation from contracts, and keeping SDKs consistent across languages.
Data Synchronization and Integration Consistency
Keeping data consistent across integrated systems: batch vs. real-time sync, change data capture, conflict resolution, reconciliation, and eventual consistency across service boundaries. Covers diagnosing and preventing drift, ordering and deduplication in sync pipelines, and the trade-offs between tight and loose coupling for shared data.
Real-Time APIs with WebSockets and SSE
Building bidirectional and streaming interfaces: WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, and long-polling for live data. Covers connection lifecycle, scaling stateful connections, presence/heartbeats, backpressure, and choosing among real-time transports. Includes mobile and browser client considerations for persistent connections.