If you’ve read my past posts on developer experiences and APIs, you know I’m bullish on developer experience (DX) and APIs. But building an API-first product isn’t just about writing endpoints and calling it a day. When you’re positioning your product as a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) — something meant to plug into larger ecosystems — the rules of product management don’t disappear. They just get more… invisible.
APIs may not have a shiny UI, but everything still matters: onboarding, documentation, value props, user flows, business cases, prioritization. It’s all in play — just abstracted one layer deeper.
Here are 11 hard-earned lessons for PMs building API-centric platforms.
1. Know Your Audience: The “Why” vs. the “What”
Platform products attract both technical and non-technical stakeholders — and they care about very different things.
CTOs, architects, internal execs want to know why your API matters.
Developers, sales engineers, and solutions teams want to know what it can do.
📣 Tip: Tailor your pitch. Use reference architectures and ROI to win over execs. Use demo-ready endpoints and docs to win over builders.
2. Be the Translator: Connect Value to Usage
“Words travel worlds. Translators do the driving.”
That’s your job.
An API might do something magical — but if it’s buried under jargon or requires 5 mental hops to understand its impact, no one will care.
📣 Tip: Frame endpoints in business outcomes for non-devs. Use real-world tasks for devs. Always bridge the gap.
3. Set Success Metrics (Global vs. Local)
APIs are detailed by nature — so are the metrics that track them. The trick? Don’t drown in the data.
Global Metrics = business impact e.g. active API tokens, new API key creations
Local Metrics = system health e.g. uptime, latency, 4xx/5xx error rates, compute time
📣 Tip: Use both. Global shows impact. Local shows performance.
4. Make One API Call Feel Effortless
The gold standard: zero-effort onboarding.
Use API keys, OAuth, or JWTs (with the right trade-offs)
Design endpoints around real use cases
Aim for one endpoint = one job
📣 Tip: If a developer can’t get a successful call in under 5 minutes, you’re leaking adoption.
5. Treat Docs Like Your UI (Because They Are)
Your docs are your homepage.
Your UX.
Your first impression.
📣 Must-haves:
Use-case-driven examples
Changelogs for every update
Common error responses and debug tips
Scenario-based guides (not just endpoint references)
A testable, GitHub-friendly doc setup that invites contributions
🛠 Pro Tip: Docs are never done. Treat them like code. Ship improvements weekly.
6. Build the World Around the API
Your API is the core — but integrations and SDKs are the accelerators.
There are two kinds of integrations to focus on:
Standardization integrations: Tools like Terraform, Ansible, etc. Simplify ops and make your API stack-friendly.
Value-add integrations: Plug into complementary ecosystems (think Kubernetes, observability, commerce tools) to unlock new workflows and monetization.
📣 Tip: Partner-driven integrations often lead to your best revenue flywheels.
7. Your Best Use Case Might Come from a Stranger
APIs are Legos. Your job is to make them snap together easily — and watch what people build.
📣 Tip: Encourage wild experimentation. Support your community on GitHub, Stack Overflow, Discord. Sponsor a hackathon. Someone might build your next feature for you.
8. API Versioning Will Haunt You (Unless You Do This)
Unlike UI updates, APIs don’t have a central place to update. They’re embedded in scripts, CI/CD pipelines, third-party systems…
📣 Survive with:
Additive over breaking changes
Semantic versioning (SemVer) — use it, communicate it, respect it
A clear deprecation policy (with timelines and tooling)
Trust me: your future self (and your users) will thank you.
9. Don’t Be a Black Box
APIs without observability are trust killers. You need the holy trinity:
Metrics — availability, latency, throughput
Logs — clear, actionable error messages
Traces — end-to-end request visibility
📣 Tip: Expose these externally where appropriate. Make debugging easy — it builds loyalty.
10. Scale the Story, Not Just the Stack
When it’s time to launch, zoom out. Get GTM teams excited. Arm sales and marketing with the “why it matters” story.
📣 Tip: Train your technical marketers and solutions engineers to highlight outcomes, not just specs. Developer-facing =/= developer-only.
11. Don’t Rule Out a UI
Even if your audience is dev-heavy, a GUI can:
Lower the barrier for non-technical stakeholders
Help with discovery, demos, internal advocacy
Improve usability for quick tasks (even for devs!)
📣 Tip: A light dashboard, workflow builder, or visualizer can be a force multiplier — without diluting your API-first strategy.
Wrap-up:
API-first platforms are eating software. But building one isn’t just about code — it’s about clarity, community, and craft.
Focus on how your API gets used — not just what it does — and you’ll unlock more adoption, more love, and more leverage.
