I have worked on many software projects over the last couple of years. One aspect that became more and more important is an API (Application Programming Interface). A decade ago an API was just classes/interfaces that a developer could use to interact with a library/framework, mostly in the same language. As systems became more and more complex and diverse, SOAP quickly rose as a defacto standard in the Java/.NET community to communicate between systems. However, once again Ruby on Rails showed that things don’t need to be complicated to be useful, and it integrated parts of Roy Fielding’s dissertation of a Restful approach (REST). Since then, REST has become the standard for nearly every Web application. Many standard apps build REST APIs that allow users and developers to integrate with their services. Twitter is a prime example that creates and builds value with such an approach.
We here at linguist strongly believe that creating a vibrant community is a key factor for our success. That is why we offer an API right from the beginning. The API supports many different actions like uploading/downloading resources, creating projects, inviting new collaborators, listing collaborators…You can find a full listing in our API overview. The documentation covers all necessary information about the entry points and shows how to use the API. We planned the API with your needs and requirements in mind, and it’s now up to you to let us know what’s missing and what can be improved. If you have trouble using the API or have ideas or questions, simply create a ticket on our support page.
I’m totally excited about linguist and can’t wait to implement all those awesome features you come up with! Happy translating.
Further readings on good REST APIs: