It's already hard to imagine a modern IT solution without different API integrations under its hood. When it's done right in your product, you can not only seamlessly process, share, and safeguard tonnes of data but also include more features in your application and become smoother in operations. In other words, APIs allow you to omit different program barriers and enhance your product for further growth. 

At the same time, the API integration development job isn't a walk in the park, and you obviously need to choose the right developer to get it done for your IT project. In their turn, developers must select the best API to use for your specific case. Thus, knowing how much it can be a challenge, we've decided to write this guide to ease your pain of choice. Enjoy reading it and find out how to hire the relevant specialist for the API developer role.

Understanding Your Project's Needs

Before plunging into the search for API developers, pause and think of your business priorities first. It's an essential preparation stage, as your goals will largely influence the purpose of your API integration. For example, you may want to sell your service to a broader part of customers, and it'll mean that you need to consider custom B2B payment integrations to make it technically possible within your system. 

To help you brainstorm, we advise you to think critically about which pains and problems an API integration can solve within your operations, and then double-check your business goals to make sure they match. 

Besides, ask yourself these questions: 

• Will it improve efficiency? 
• How will it affect the daily workflow? And is it so critically important?
• Does it align with the company's mission and vision?

Finding answers will show you the right direction.

Key Skills and Experience for API Developers

Now that you've defined the purpose of API integration for your project, it's time to find the one(s) that will be able to realize your idea. So, below, we'll talk about the API developer's skills that are expected from the promising candidates for this role. Typically, the criteria for your assessment should consist of:

• Knowledge of API basics. The hired API integration specialist should easily use the relevant API terminology and be able to explain how the API integration process works in detail.

• Experience in researching and choosing APIs. As the developer's task is to choose the best web API among the plenty of public catalogue options, they must have done it several times. Ask about the factors the developer relies on while selecting the APIs. Usually, they're ease of use, price, functionality, reputation of the provider, and extent of support.

• • Confident work with API documentation. It's another must to handle the API integration procedure according to the defined standards. Thus, a developer should be able to both write and easily navigate into the API documentation. 

• Ability to map and build service connections. To cope with the API integration task, the candidate should know how to leverage code generation tools to connect different systems and API endpoints and build the necessary services (payment gateways, webhooks, etc.). Ask to share the portfolio of similar projects and access them before signing the contract.

• Integration testing skills. The aspects of load testing, security checkups, and automated testing should be familiar to the candidate of your choice. Discuss with them which API security best practices they implement to make the APIs reliable.

• Integration maintenance skills. These skills are no less significant as supporting the API integration is the final stage of the process. Ask the developer how they deal with the updates so as not to disrupt the user experience.

• Knowledge of relevant tools. In addition to code generation and testing tools, the promising API developer should also be a guru of analytics. The latter will help optimize API design and enhance the quality of service delivered to customers.

API Security

In our opinion, security is a separate point of discussion when it comes to integrating APIs into your product. It should be a top priority to achieve the goal of protecting your systems and data. For this aim, the developer can apply different API security solutions: encryption, authorization, authentication, and other anti-fraud measures. The complexity of these methods will also influence the choice of the API. Hence, it's wise to discuss how to safeguard your service against data breaches from the beginning.

Technology Stack Compatibility

Another factor to account for while picking among the most used APIs is a technology match. In this view, the API developer of your choice should be proficient in the corresponding tech stack required for your project. Also, make sure they can support the relevant API standards. Only in this case will the development, integration, and maintenance go smoothly. 

Performance & Scalability: Ensure the API Can Support Future Growth

Well, the most popular APIs, like AWS and GCP, allow easy scaling of your product with no latency, bugs, or crashes. However, to be 100% sure that your product will support the required load of traffic, consider choosing a robust infrastructure to stay responsive. This is the duty of the API developer, but you can also dig into reading about the ways to adjust your resources to the increasing demand.

Budget Considerations and Timelines

Last but not least point to pay attention to at the planning stage is deciding on the project budget for API integration. Here, you should review different pricing models and give preference to the one that clearly explains cost policies. This way, you won't come across unexpected fees and expenses.

Get a Professional Developer for Your API Integration Job

We hope that this article has broadened your knowledge on the topic of choosing the right API developer and your successful partnership. Remember that API integration is the direct path to improved efficiency and business growth, so you only need to find a reliable specialist to make it work for you. Good luck!