Scaling API Docs, What to Consider When Building a Developer Portal

A talk given by Kristof Van Tomme from Pronovix at the 2019 Platform Summit in Stockholm.

Developer experience is a key predictor for a successful API program. But how do you go about making a great DX? If you are a startup there are many models in the API community you can emulate. But what if you are running a large API initiative as part of a digital transformation program, how will you do so consistently at scale? What are the pitfalls? What should you consider when choosing the governance model and technology for your devportal?

In this talk I explain how API documentation and your devportal can help you to turn your organization into a complex adaptive system. Exploring a constraint model that can help you reason about governance and technology choices. Borrowing insights from biological systems to help build a system that is neither over- nor under-constrained.