Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Save more on your purchases! discount-offer-chevron-icon
Savings automatically calculated. No voucher code required.
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Newsletter Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
timer SALE ENDS IN
0 Days
:
00 Hours
:
00 Minutes
:
00 Seconds
API Analytics for Product Managers
API Analytics for Product Managers

API Analytics for Product Managers: Understand key API metrics that can help you grow your business

eBook
$24.99 $27.99
Paperback
$34.99
Audiobook
$41.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. $19.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

API Analytics for Product Managers

API as a Product

Most application programming interfaces (APIs) are sets of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. They allow different software programs to interact with each other by exposing the functionality and data through a set of defined interfaces.

APIs are important because they allow different software programs to share data and functionality, which can greatly increase efficiency and reduce development time. They also allow for the integration of new technologies and services into existing systems, making it easier to add new features and capabilities.

APIs are becoming increasingly important in today’s digital economy as they allow companies to share data and services with partners and third-party developers to create new products and services. They also allow for the automation of business processes and the creation of new revenue streams.

In this chapter, you will learn how to think about APIs as products. We will cover the following topics:

  • Building with APIs
  • Software-as-a-Service
  • Establishing APIs as products
  • Types of APIs
  • Business models for API products
  • Who builds APIs and who uses them?
  • Notable API products that are shaping the API landscape
  • Defining success for a product

By the end of this chapter, you will have learned about how you can think of APIs as products, how APIs are establishing themselves as a category of products, and some of the most prominent API products.

Building with APIs

APIs can help organizations become more efficient, make better use of data, and create new revenue streams. They can also open up new opportunities for innovation and provide a better customer experience.

Knowing how to work with APIs can be a valuable skill for developers, as more and more companies are looking for people who can integrate their systems with other technologies and services. Additionally, knowing how to use APIs can help developers create new applications that can take advantage of the data and functionality exposed by other systems.

APIs can provide several benefits to an organization, such as the following:

  • Increased efficiency: APIs can automate business processes, allowing employees to focus on more important tasks
  • Improved data access: APIs can make it easier to access data from different systems, which can be used for reporting, analysis, and decision-making
  • New revenue streams: By making data and functionality available through an API, organizations can create new revenue streams by allowing third-party developers to access and use their data and services
  • Innovation: APIs can open up new opportunities for innovation by allowing organizations to integrate with new technologies and services, and by enabling third-party developers to build new applications and services on top of an organization’s data and functionality
  • Cost savings: By exposing data and functionality through APIs, organizations can reduce the time and costs associated with developing and maintaining custom integrations between different systems
  • Better customer experience: By making data and services available through an API, organizations can provide a more seamless and integrated experience for customers who use multiple channels to interact with them

With benefits such as increasing efficiency, improving data access, unlocking new revenue streams, and so on, APIs have become an exciting category of products. In the next section, you will learn about APIs as products and how they are used across industries such as e-commerce, finance, and so on.

Software-as-a-Service

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a software delivery model in which a software application is hosted by a third-party provider and made available to customers over the internet.

Customers can access software and its functionality through a web browser or a mobile app without having to install or maintain it on their own servers. The SaaS provider is responsible for managing the infrastructure, security, and maintenance of the software.

SaaS is a type of cloud computing that enables customers to pay for the software on a subscription basis, usually on a monthly or annual basis. This allows companies of all sizes to access enterprise-level software without having to invest in expensive infrastructure and maintenance costs. Examples of SaaS include Salesforce, G Suite, Zoom, and Slack. SaaS is widely adopted in many industries, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), e-commerce, human resource management, project management, marketing automation, and many more. SaaS and APIs have a close relationship, as SaaS providers often use APIs to make their software available to customers.

APIs allow SaaS providers to expose the functionality of their software to external systems and applications. This allows customers to integrate the SaaS with other systems and automate workflows, such as integrating a SaaS CRM with a marketing automation tool or accounting SaaS with a website e-commerce platform.

APIs also allow SaaS providers to offer customization options to their customers, such as the ability to create custom reports or automate certain business processes. This allows customers to tailor the SaaS to their specific needs. With this understanding of the relationship between SaaS and APIs, you will learn to think about APIs as products in the next section.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • Transform your APIs into revenue-generating entities by turning them into products
  • Meet your business needs by improving the way you research, strategize, market, and measure results
  • Create and implement a variety of metrics to promote growth

Description

APIs are crucial in the modern market as they allow faster innovation. But have you ever considered your APIs as products for revenue generation? API Analytics for Product Managers takes you through the benefits of efficient researching, strategizing, marketing, and continuously measuring the effectiveness of your APIs to help grow both B2B and B2C SaaS companies. Once you've been introduced to the concept of an API as a product, this fast-paced guide will show you how to establish metrics for activation, retention, engagement, and usage of your API products, as well as metrics to measure the reach and effectiveness of documentation—an often-overlooked aspect of development. Of course, it's not all about the product—as any good product manager knows; you need to understand your customers’ needs, expectations, and satisfaction too. Once you've gathered your data, you’ll need to be able to derive actionable insights from it. This is where the book covers the advanced concepts of leading and lagging metrics, removing bias from the metric-setting process, and bringing metrics together to establish long- and short-term goals. By the end of this book, you'll be perfectly placed to apply product management methodologies to the building and scaling of revenue-generating APIs.

Who is this book for?

If you’re a product manager, engineer, or product executive charged with making the most of APIs for your SaaS business, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of how APIs work and what they do is essential before you get started with this book, since the book covers the analytical side of measuring their performance to help your business grow.

What you will learn

  • Build a long-term strategy for an API
  • Explore the concepts of the API life cycle and API maturity
  • Understand APIs from a product management perspective
  • Create support models for your APIs that scale with the product
  • Apply user research principles to APIs
  • Explore the metrics of activation, retention, engagement, and churn
  • Cluster metrics together to provide context
  • Examine the consequences of gameable and vanity metrics

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Feb 21, 2023
Length: 344 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781803247656
Concepts :

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. $19.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing

Product Details

Publication date : Feb 21, 2023
Length: 344 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781803247656
Concepts :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total $ 150.97
Gamification for Product Excellence
$35.99
API Analytics for Product Managers
$34.99
The AI Product Manager's Handbook
$79.99
Total $ 150.97 Stars icon

Table of Contents

23 Chapters
Part 1:The API Landscape Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 1: API as a Product Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 2: API Product Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 3: API Life Cycle and Maturity Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 4: Building and Managing API Products Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 5: Growth for API Products Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 6: Support Models for API Products Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 2: Understanding the Developer Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 7: Walking in the Customer’s Shoes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 8: Customer Expectations and Goals Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 9: Components of API Experience Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 3: Deep Dive into Key Metrics for API Products Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 10: Infrastructure Metrics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 11: API Product Metrics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 12: Business Metrics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 4: Setting a Cohesive Analytics Strategy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 13: Drawing the Big Picture with Data Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 14: Keeping Metrics Honest Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 15: Counter Metrics to Avoid Blind Spots Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 16: Decision-Making with Data Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
The API Analytics Cheat Sheet Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Top Reviews
Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.1
(7 Ratings)
5 star 71.4%
4 star 0%
3 star 14.3%
2 star 0%
1 star 14.3%
Filter icon Filter
Top Reviews

Filter reviews by




GM Apr 27, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
APIs are still an engineering driven interface and very few business folks including PMs understand what's going on. Deepa puts together in good detail the basics and details around how PMs should look at understanding API usage. Well worth a copy on your desk if you are PM working on APIs.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Prasenjit Sarkar Aug 07, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
In the ever-evolving landscape of product management, few resources address the niche yet incredibly essential realm of APIs as effectively as "API Analytics for Product Managers." As a seasoned product leader with a penchant for data-driven decision making, I found this book to be both a timely and enlightening read.From the get-go, the premise of considering APIs not just as utilities but as revenue-generating products is compelling. In my experience, the best product decisions are underpinned by robust analytics, and this book serves as a comprehensive guide to transforming the way we perceive, measure, and optimize APIs. Its structured approach, starting from the foundational concept of an API as a product, to the intricacies of API life cycle and maturity, ensures a step-by-step, layered understanding.A standout feature of this book is its emphasis on metrics. While many resources touch upon standard metrics like activation and retention, this book delves deep. The exploration of often-neglected areas like the effectiveness of documentation and the potential pitfalls of vanity metrics is particularly enlightening. The inclusion of leading and lagging metrics provides a holistic view, allowing readers to understand not just the 'what,' but the 'why' behind their API performance.The sections dedicated to walking in the customer's shoes and understanding their expectations resonate deeply. After all, in the realm of product management, empathy is a North Star. Applying user research principles specifically to APIs is a fresh take and is bound to be invaluable for product managers navigating this space.However, perhaps the most powerful takeaway is the book's commitment to honest metrics. In a world overflowing with data, discerning meaningful insights from noise is a formidable challenge. The chapters on keeping metrics honest and decision-making with data are both a cautionary tale and a guide, steering readers away from potential pitfalls and towards impactful, actionable insights.The book's target audience is spot on. Product managers, engineers, and product executives will find immense value in the insights presented, but even those on the peripheries of SaaS businesses can benefit from understanding the pivotal role APIs play in today's tech ecosystem.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Khushboo sonchhatra Mar 25, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book was great refernce to add to my library as Im a current product mgr in my organziation. It helped me to build out a game plan for my API long term strategy and really learn on how to use APIs from a product mgt pespective. Great work Deepa! Thanks again so much . Looking forward to your next version!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
L Weir Jun 25, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
"API Analytics for Product Managers" is an indispensable resource that every product manager should have. As an API expert and author, I found this book extremely useful for understanding and applying business concepts into API products, define what success means and how to measure it and then execute on a strategy to reach such goals.The book's focus on business metrics and measuring success is exceptional. It provides practical guidance on tracking the right metrics for product growth and making informed decisions. The authors seamlessly connect API analytics with business objectives, improving user experiences and driving growth.I particularly loved the emphasis on measuring metrics and how to interpret them. The authors offer a comprehensive framework for tracking APIs and interpreting data. Real-world examples and case studies enhance the book's practicality.In summary, "API Analytics for Product Managers" is an essential guide that empowers product managers to unlock the value of API analytics in context of business outcomes. Whether you're experienced or starting out, this book provides the knowledge needed to measure success and make informed decisions. I highly recommend it in the evolving world of APIs. Will be permanently in my bookshelf :)
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Darshan Rajaram Kamat Jun 25, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The book covers both in depth and breadth , the API world and the needed metrics to track, interpret and take next steps towards the API / services improvements for great Developer Experience.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is included in a Packt subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

A subscription provides you with full access to view all Packt and licnesed content online, this includes exclusive access to Early Access titles. Depending on the tier chosen you can also earn credits and discounts to use for owning content

How can I cancel my subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

To cancel your subscription with us simply go to the account page - found in the top right of the page or at https://subscription.packtpub.com/my-account/subscription - From here you will see the ‘cancel subscription’ button in the grey box with your subscription information in.

What are credits? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Credits can be earned from reading 40 section of any title within the payment cycle - a month starting from the day of subscription payment. You also earn a Credit every month if you subscribe to our annual or 18 month plans. Credits can be used to buy books DRM free, the same way that you would pay for a book. Your credits can be found in the subscription homepage - subscription.packtpub.com - clicking on ‘the my’ library dropdown and selecting ‘credits’.

What happens if an Early Access Course is cancelled? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Projects are rarely cancelled, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If an Early Access course is cancelled or excessively delayed, you can exchange your purchase for another course. For further details, please contact us here.

Where can I send feedback about an Early Access title? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

If you have any feedback about the product you're reading, or Early Access in general, then please fill out a contact form here and we'll make sure the feedback gets to the right team. 

Can I download the code files for Early Access titles? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We try to ensure that all books in Early Access have code available to use, download, and fork on GitHub. This helps us be more agile in the development of the book, and helps keep the often changing code base of new versions and new technologies as up to date as possible. Unfortunately, however, there will be rare cases when it is not possible for us to have downloadable code samples available until publication.

When we publish the book, the code files will also be available to download from the Packt website.

How accurate is the publication date? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The publication date is as accurate as we can be at any point in the project. Unfortunately, delays can happen. Often those delays are out of our control, such as changes to the technology code base or delays in the tech release. We do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the publication date at any given time, and as more chapters are delivered, the more accurate the delivery date will become.

How will I know when new chapters are ready? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We'll let you know every time there has been an update to a course that you've bought in Early Access. You'll get an email to let you know there has been a new chapter, or a change to a previous chapter. The new chapters are automatically added to your account, so you can also check back there any time you're ready and download or read them online.

I am a Packt subscriber, do I get Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Yes, all Early Access content is fully available through your subscription. You will need to have a paid for or active trial subscription in order to access all titles.

How is Early Access delivered? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is currently only available as a PDF or through our online reader. As we make changes or add new chapters, the files in your Packt account will be updated so you can download them again or view them online immediately.

How do I buy Early Access content? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is a way of us getting our content to you quicker, but the method of buying the Early Access course is still the same. Just find the course you want to buy, go through the check-out steps, and you’ll get a confirmation email from us with information and a link to the relevant Early Access courses.

What is Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Keeping up to date with the latest technology is difficult; new versions, new frameworks, new techniques. This feature gives you a head-start to our content, as it's being created. With Early Access you'll receive each chapter as it's written, and get regular updates throughout the product's development, as well as the final course as soon as it's ready.We created Early Access as a means of giving you the information you need, as soon as it's available. As we go through the process of developing a course, 99% of it can be ready but we can't publish until that last 1% falls in to place. Early Access helps to unlock the potential of our content early, to help you start your learning when you need it most. You not only get access to every chapter as it's delivered, edited, and updated, but you'll also get the finalized, DRM-free product to download in any format you want when it's published. As a member of Packt, you'll also be eligible for our exclusive offers, including a free course every day, and discounts on new and popular titles.