The API Economy is the commercial exchange of business functions, capabilities, or competencies as services using web application programming interfaces (APIs). APIs drive the digital economy and companies that do not embrace the API economy will be left behind.

The API Economy is key to accelerating value, improving business performance, and extending your business services and goods to the widest possible audience. Making sure your company is easy to do business with and creating paths to new business opportunities is why the API Economy signals a new business reality. Companies that seize this opportunity will differentiate themselves and grow.

This IBM® Redguide™ publication has the following objectives:

• Explore the business opportunities and benefits accrued by embracing the API Economy.
• Offer an adoption model illustrating the use of APIs for experimentation, platform building, repurposing business processes, or becoming a digital enterprise.
• Illustrate the relationship between APIs and service-oriented architecture (SOA).

This IBM Redguide publication illustrates how to get started and gain value with the API Economy. It is about creating a digital platform that allows your company to improve its brand loyalty, reduce customer churn, improve business performance, increase revenue sources but most importantly, increase client value.

Read the IBM Redbooks Point-of-View publication: Stepping Forward into the API Economy

Executive overview

The API Economy: Why does it matter?

Lifecycle of the API Economy

Emergence of purpose driven platforms

Business agility and innovation with SOA and APIs

API adoption models

Conclusion