Technology is now progressing faster than we could imagine
in the past. As a matter of fact, things that seemed downright impossible
yesterday are now a reality. With the
emergence of the Internet of Things – more commonly known as IoT these days –
all of our devices now work together to make our lives way easier.
Gartner even predicts that the base of IoT-enabled devices
will reach 26 billion by the end of the decade and the market itself will touch
1.6 trillion dollars within the next five years.
Have you ever wondered what makes all of this possible?
While the Internet is the most obvious culprit, that answer would be too
simple. Well, this interconnectivity is enabled by Application Programming
Interfaces, or as most people call them, APIs.
How do APIs Empower the IoT?
As we said in the opening paragraph, IoT has revolutionized
the way we live – from our offices to our living rooms. By enabling everyday
objects like ACs, TVs, and Fridges to connect to the Internet, we now don’t
have to waste time with mundane tasks and worry about things like leaving the
stove on.
But the technology needs to
progress further and large corporations are now working even harder on
developing APIs that will keep things going forward. Some people are even
building apps on top of already existing API – this is called the API-first design approach – to
speed things up.
Let’s take a look at a couple of
things the development of APIs can do for the world of IoT…
·
Giving More Security to the Network
Security is a major concern for a huge number of modern
consumers. In order to improve the security, IoT vendors need to make their
devices directly accessible over the net. However, with the help of APIs, the
access to the network should be restricted to the owner.
·
Integration Across Different Systems
IoT-capable devices use a number of platforms, sensors, and
gateways to function. In order to make sure that every component is updated and
integrated properly is to use APIs that ensure a smooth cross-system
integration process.
·
Further Developing the IoT
At the moment, IoT APIs have their limitations, and the
biggest challenge for enterprises is to keep up with the market. Some APIs are
not well planned out. But with more and more people using the aforementioned
API-first approach, it seems like things are about to change quickly.
Final Thoughts
By focusing on iterative development – the process of
braking down large projects into small pieces – the developers have the ability
to speed up API development. With continuous monitoring, testing, and mocking,
the developers also ensure that their projects are bug-free at all times. That
means, with the continuous development of the technology, our interconnected
world will continue to run smoothly for years to come.
We hope you enjoyed
our article and that you found it helpful. If by any chance you have some
questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below and we’ll get
back at you as soon as possible.
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iot