API Development
Application programming interfaces (APIs) are the unseen engines powering everything from mobile apps to cloud services. But what happens when these engines fail under pressure?
A slow and unstable API frustrates users and can destroy businesses. A delayed response in a payment gateway or a crashed endpoint during heavy traffic can result in revenue losses, diminished confidence, and tarnished brands.
Here's where API performance testing comes in. Unlike functional API testing, which verifies what an API does, performance testing addresses the important how:
April 22, 2025 | 18 min read
API Development
Security is essential. Whether you're building a physical entity like a house or a software product like a web application, if you don't factor in security, sooner or later, that system will be compromised. That's why it needs to be considered from the very beginning.
When it comes to implementing security in software applications, several techniques and principles are considered, such as encryption, authentication, authorization, and so on. However, one of the most effective and comprehensive approaches to security is the zero trust model.
This model is based on the principle of "never trust, always verify," meaning that no one, whether inside or outside the network, should be trusted by default. Instead, every request for access to resources must be verified and authenticated before being granted.
April 21, 2025 | 13 min read
API Development
Understanding and enhancing developer productivity go beyond simply measuring lines of code. It covers the entire software development process and directly impacts business outcomes. The efficiency and effectiveness of development teams have never been more important.
Developer productivity represents the ability of software engineers to deliver high-quality code that meets business objectives within optimal timeframes. It's influenced by numerous factors, from technical infrastructure and tooling to team dynamics and individual well-being. The challenge for engineering leaders lies in accurately measuring and systematically improving productivity without sacrificing code quality or developer experience.
What is developer productivity?
April 17, 2025 | 14 min read
Article
Discover April's top dev insights: cost-saving strategies, API trends, Kubernetes tips, and community buzz—plus, catch us at API Days NYC next month.
April 16, 2025 | 5 min read
API Development
Kubernetes Secrets are a fundamental component of secure configuration management in containerized environments. Secrets provide a built-in solution for storing and managing sensitive data such as passwords, OAuth tokens, and SSH keys, ensuring they remain protected while being accessible to the applications that need them.
In Kubernetes deployments, proper configuration management is essential for maintaining security, reliability, and scalability. Kubernetes Secrets offer a standardized approach to handle confidential data, separating sensitive information from application code and container images. This separation is crucial for maintaining security best practices and preventing the exposure of sensitive data during the development and deployment lifecycle.
Unlike ConfigMaps, which are designed for non-sensitive configuration data, Kubernetes Secrets are specifically intended for confidential information. They provide mechanisms for encrypting data at rest, controlling access through role-based access control, and managing the lifecycle of sensitive information independently from the applications that consume it.
April 15, 2025 | 12 min read
Article
Measuring developer productivity has never been more critical—or more complicated. As engineering teams are asked to "do more with less," it's essential to evaluate how productivity is defined, tracked, and improved. That was the core focus of a recent roundtable webinar featuring the following engineering leaders from Daisy Health, Keebo, and formerly Smartbear, as well as Ambassador, who hosted the talk.
The discussion provided valuable insights into the evolving definition of productivity and the real-world metrics that matter most. It also revealed just how much variety there is in the nature and number of metrics and how they’re captured. Factors that seemed to inform the preferred analytics approach most include industry, organization size, business goals, and leadership styles.
Despite the overall variation in approach, we did identify some key metrics that developer teams will want to consider using and applying immediately and a perspective on the impact of AI on the future of DevProd metrics.
April 14, 2025 | 13 min read
