Bridging software capabilities to catalyze innovation
In today's hyper-connected world, APIs (application programming interfaces) serve as the backbone of many digital products and services. Whether connecting mobile apps to backend databases or integrating online commerce platforms with payment gateways, APIs play a crucial role in enabling seamless interactions among software components.
Developers use APIs to build new applications and make existing ones better. Developer portals make it easier for them to find, evaluate & use APIs. Put simply, they provide the building blocks for better software.
From late 2022 to late 2024, I had the privilege of directing the development of Verizon’s API First internal and external API developer portals — aptly branded as “Hubs” — surfaces where APIs come alive in self-service portals tailored to developers. They were engineered to connect with other Verizon front- and back-ends, or “spokes”, to deliver a seamless experience across the developer lifecycle known as…
The API Consumer Journey
During the first half of 2023, rigorous competitor analysis of several-dozen industry-leading developer portals informed feature delivery planning.
In August 2023, the internal API developer portal was released. Seven months later, a sister portal for external developer partners launched. It was soon after integrated with an identity orchestrator for streamlined authentication.
Through these and subsequent releases, API First put into practice an increasing number of the best practices observed from other portals, which helped refine the journey initially crafted from in-depth research, user personas and use case analysis with stakeholder teams.
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APIs by browsing a catalog with efficient and intuitive search, sort and filter functionality
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APIs by reviewing their documentation and determining if they fit a need for an existing application or one to be built
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Permission to use API resources for their application and receive access request responses from API owners
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API credentials to request API resources and can track their API usage metrics
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Request and obtain support in a trackable way during the app lifecycle
“We’re developing all of our software products with an API-first mentality so that we’re unlocking things for other people to use…This is giving (developers) a larger amount of different API functions that will be in a place where they can develop from.”
— Verizon Vice President Andrea Caldini on the API First Initiative
API developer portals
Strategic role
The API First developer portals are core to Verizon’s vision of fostering interoperability across lines of business to enable seamless, multi-service offerings for enterprise partners in that they…
Provide a bridge for accessing wireless and wireline software capabilities offered as bundled, pay-as-you-go, subscription-based or even freemium services
Demonstrate the company’s commitment to meeting developers "where they are" with a modernized approach to discovering and integrating APIs
Exemplify the broader initiative’s aim to provide an API management system that’s as encompassed and efficient as it is scalable and secure, one that gradually renders the complexities internal to the company transparent to customers, be they IdPs, ordering and billing systems, metrics offerings, ITSM tools, and more.
Value propositions
Developer portals provide critical value for both internal and external stakeholders. Internally, they centralize API governance, standardize documentation and consolidate legacy solutions. Externally, they enable partner access to APIs while integrating with identity management systems. Both portals drive digital transformation by fostering developer trust, simplifying integration processes, and serving as gateways to innovation that support strategic business decision-making through API adoption metrics.
Technology stack
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Native OpenAPI support
Seamless integration with CI/CD flows that process API documentation changes from third-party repos, updating cloud storage containers, which enables the portal to retrieve and render the updated content via API calls
Clean separation between “brownfield” business logic and “greenfield” API layers
Support for JSON Web Tokens for user session management, third-party IdPs for authentication, and the OAuth 2.0 protocol for authorization
After research and spikes in early 2023 to evaluate options for the developer portals, NestJS for the back-end and NextJS for the front-end were chosen as the foundation to ensure a modular architecture. Integration with the platform for runtime automation, the ability to validate and process JSON schemas that define standardized API documentation structure and metadata, and support for React library brand components were key considerations. The architecture covered those bases and then some…
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Performance: Server-side rendering, static site generation and lazy loading
Custom React and MDX support for consistent branding across components, documentation pages and interactive content
File system-based routing to ensure consistent URL structures
Portal innovation and future growth
What’s in store
API First's internal and external portals are continually evolving to meet enterprise needs, introducing self-service features and expanding capabilities developers have requested.
Recent upgrades include expanded API documentation and simplified service account creation, with a focus on accelerating time to first call (TTC) and enriching the developer experience.
Future releases will usher in…
Unified Identity and Access Management (IAM) to create a more cohesive and secure API ecosystem
Automated external deployment pipelines to meet customer demands faster
Support for multi-language software development kits (SDKs)
API consumption metrics dashboards for customers and stakeholders alike
Workflows and Notifications: A freely-consumable, durably-executing runtime to manage tasks and enable automation of async notifications across Slack, email and webhooks, streamlining communication and support
The portals are designed to scale in lock step with Verizon's growing API ecosystem, introducing features like global search, enhanced developer guides, and streamlined self-service tools.
By 2025, the initiative aims to automate the creation and deployment of API bundles for wireless and wireline solutions while simultaneously enabling efficient monetization pathways for external partners built on a foundation of fine-grained access and API gateway interoperability.
Meanwhile, API First is actively pursuing trials with select enterprise partners, from hyper-scalers to aggregators to systems integrators and beyond.