The hottest API Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Code works as intended

In My Tribe • 151 implied HN points • 07 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming API Web Development Open Source
  1. Working with code can be tricky, especially when different operating systems like Windows and Linux handle files differently. It can cause stress and confusion for beginners.
  2. While waiting for responses in applications can be frustrating, adding some engaging content, like banter, helps keep users interested and makes the wait feel shorter.
  3. There's potential to create new, innovative educational tools that allow professors to monetize their courses in a more modern way, like a subscription model instead of traditional textbooks.

Reddit goes dark

Platformer • 2889 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI API Social media Education
  1. Reddit faced backlash from its user base after announcing changes to its API that would affect third-party apps and moderation tools.
  2. The move to limit third-party apps appears to be driven by Reddit's desire to increase profits and centralize control of its ecosystem.
  3. The crisis highlighted Reddit's heavy dependence on volunteer labor and the potential risks of outsourcing content creation and moderation to the user base.

OpenAI Enhanced Their API With Robust Structured Output Capabilities

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 39 implied HN points • 12 Aug 24
🕹 Technology AI API Data Development NLP
  1. OpenAI has improved its API to ensure that outputs always match a set JSON format. This helps developers know exactly what kind of data they will get back.
  2. The previous method of generating JSON outputs was inconsistent, making it hard to use in real-world applications. Now, there's a more reliable way to create structured outputs.
  3. Developers can now use features like Function Calling and a new response format to make their apps interact better with AI, ensuring clearer communication between systems.

Mantic Monday 4/24/23

Astral Codex Ten • 3923 implied HN points • 25 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Data Analysis API Funding
  1. Using AI for forecasting future world events is a growing field with potential benefits over human forecasters.
  2. Metaculus has been found to be more accurate than low-information priors and its competitor Manifold Markets, showing the potential of crowdsourcing for predictions.
  3. Exploring AI forecasting through platforms like Polymarket, Metaculus, and Manifold provides insight into trends, such as the interest in prediction markets among sci-tech celebrities.

Authorization As A Service

ciamweekly • 62 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Security API SaaS Development
  1. Authorization is just as important as authentication. While authentication is about identifying who someone is, authorization defines what they can do in the system.
  2. It's crucial to set clear rules for what users can and cannot access. Users should be able to manage their own data, but not access or delete data that belongs to others.
  3. Using centralized authorization services makes managing access easier and more consistent. This way, applications can quickly check permissions without getting bogged down in complicated code.
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OpenAI Dev Day

Bojan’s Newsletter • 157 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI API Models Development Future Tech
  1. Key announcements at OpenAI Dev Day included GPT4 Turbo, GPT Store launch, ChatGPT API introduction, new Text-to-speech API, DALL-E 3 API, Whisper 3 unveil, and Copyright Shield.
  2. Developers can create and customize GPTs for specific use cases easily.
  3. OpenAI emphasized gradual AI model advancements and the transformative impact AI will have on various industries in the near future.

August 2023: The Electric Vehicle charging orchestration layer

Kunle.app • 137 implied HN points • 10 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Electric Vehicles API Charging Infrastructure Regulatory Compliance
  1. An EV aggregator app that consolidates charging networks can provide a seamless user experience.
  2. Developing an API for EV charging could simplify processes like parking, finding chargers, pricing, and payments.
  3. Ecosystem aggregation for EV charging needs to consider incentives for charging networks, distribution entities, and consumers.

Ensemble Weather Forecast API

Open-Meteo • 351 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Weather API Forecasting Models Documentation
  1. Ensemble weather forecasts show a range of possibilities, helping to understand the uncertainty in predictions.
  2. Weather forecasts differ in reliability based on location and weather patterns, affecting the level of uncertainty in predictions.
  3. The Ensemble API combines various weather models, providing access to different weather variables for various purposes.

Don't abuse 0

CodeFaster • 144 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Programming API Software Development
  1. Setting a spend limit of 0 in an API does not mean restricting spending to zero; it actually means allowing infinite spending.
  2. Consider using the string 'infinity' instead of '0' to denote unlimited spending.
  3. If needing to use an integer value for spend limits, consider using -1 to represent infinity, as it is not a common value and prompts further investigation.

The asymmetry of nudges

lcamtuf’s thing • 103 HN points • 24 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Big Tech API Browser Extensions Privacy
  1. It's common to blame big businesses for unethical practices, but often founders and CEOs are genuinely trying to do the right thing.
  2. The development of Manifest V3 in Google Chrome, though controversial, aimed to address major security and privacy risks posed by browser extensions.
  3. The concept of the asymmetry of nudges highlights how well-intentioned changes in tech companies can inadvertently limit user choices or negatively impact user experience.

Are you a platform?

Developer GTM – by Calyx Consulting • 99 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
💼 Business Platforms Ecosystems API Consultancy Product Development
  1. Platforms come in various forms, not just through APIs, and successful platforms connect different parts of the value chain.
  2. Organic growth is crucial for platforms to succeed, and the relationship between platform and ecosystem is interdependent.
  3. Building a platform requires internal buy-in from leadership and alignment with company goals to ensure long-term success.

Saving Time Using Auto1111's API: Automated Workflow for XYZ Grids

followfox.ai’s Newsletter • 98 implied HN points • 27 May 23
🕹 Technology Automation API Workflow Testing Scripting
  1. An automated workflow using Auto1111's API can save time when generating XYZ comparison grids
  2. The process involves creating a CSV file with parameters for each grid and using a script to feed these parameters to Auto1111 through the API
  3. While this automated workflow can save time, it may not allow for immediate review and adjustments after each grid generation

The Way Of Model-Agnostic Machine Learning

Mindful Modeler • 139 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Interpretation API
  1. Choosing the best model based on performance is crucial in machine learning, even if personal preferences may influence model selection.
  2. Embracing model-agnostic machine learning involves using software that enables flexible model choices, maintaining consistent APIs across models, and prioritizing model-agnostic interpretation methods.
  3. Real-world constraints and preferences often lead to model-specific approaches, but advancements in interpretation methods, uncertainty quantification, and technology are making model-agnostic modeling more feasible.

The CHAT Stack, GPT-4, And The Near-Term Future Of Software

jonstokes.com • 237 implied HN points • 15 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Software Development Machine Learning Data Storage API
  1. Developers will build apps on top of ChatGPT and similar models to create interactive and knowledgeable AI assistants
  2. The CHAT stack approach involves Context, History, API, and Token window, enabling how software applications will operate in the near future
  3. GPT-4 introduces an enlarged token window, improved control surfaces, and better ability to follow human instructions

Frankly Speaking - The rise of the technical security leader

Frankly Speaking • 203 implied HN points • 22 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Security Cloud API Innovation Leadership
  1. Establishing a foundational security strategy integrated into the engineering process is crucial for tech companies.
  2. The rise of security engineering leaders will be inevitable for growth companies of all sizes.
  3. Strong security design and fast iteration processes require a security engineering team rather than a traditional risk-focused security organization.

How to Summarize Youtube Video using ChatGPT Api and Node.js

Implementing • 39 implied HN points • 02 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Programming API Web scraping CLI OpenAI
  1. The system architecture for summarizing YouTube videos involves extracting text from videos and generating text summaries using OpenAI's completions API.
  2. The process includes scraping YouTube automatic captioning for text extraction and dividing large text into smaller parts to handle limitations of the completions API.
  3. A command line interface (CLI) was created to allow users to easily summarize YouTube videos by passing the video link and desired language code.

How SMS Fraud Works and How to Guard Against It

Mindful Musings • 206 HN points • 28 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Security Fraud Engineering Data Protection API
  1. Understanding how SMS fraud works involves premium phone numbers, gaming for profit, and exploiting vulnerabilities in services.
  2. Protecting against SMS fraud can involve measures like obfuscating endpoints, blocking sketchy IPs, and implementing rate-limiting on SMS sending.
  3. Twilio has the potential to offer SMS fraud protection using data on fraudulent numbers and carriers.

Government as a Service

Engineering Open Societies • 58 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Government Software Development Data Access Product Development API
  1. Governments struggle to build good software for citizens, with outdated technology and convoluted processes.
  2. Governments lack good product and software development practices, often using outdated methods and facing bureaucratic challenges.
  3. Governments have inadequate API and data access, causing issues for engineers and entrepreneurs trying to integrate with government systems.

Careless Whisper (Usage Can Blow Out Your API Limits)

networked • 107 implied HN points • 07 Jul 23
🕹 Technology AI API Cost Analysis Application development
  1. The main value proposition of the app is to automate the process of summarizing podcast episodes, reducing manual work.
  2. Focus on reducing transcription costs rather than summarization costs for cost savings in a podcast summarizer app.
  3. Experiment with modifying audio speed and removing silences to lower transcription costs and enhance accuracy.

How to Get a List of Your Active Analytics Rules for Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 19 implied HN points • 12 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Data Analytics Microsoft Sentinel API
  1. To get a list of active Analytics Rules in Microsoft Sentinel, use the Workspace Usage Report Workbook's Active Rules via Rest API module to download a CSV file of the results.
  2. You can also access a list of Analytics Rule templates by utilizing the Rule Templates via Rest API module.
  3. Consider exploring Twitter, LinkedIn, or subscribing to newsletters for further engagement with the topic.

Spotify Closes API, PlayAI $21M, SEC EDGAR Next

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 03 Dec 24
🕹 Technology API AI Music Fintech Data
  1. Spotify is limiting access to its API for third-party developers. This change is meant to protect user data but has upset many developers who feel left in the dark.
  2. PlayAI has raised $21 million to improve its AI voice technology. This funding will help them create better speech tools for businesses.
  3. The SEC is updating its EDGAR system for better security and account management. These changes will make filing and managing documents easier for companies.

Why it is so damn hard to get approved for Meta Graph API

Graph API Explorers • 4 HN points • 31 Mar 24
🕹 Technology API Review Development Social media
  1. Getting approved for Meta Graph API can be extremely challenging, even for straightforward use cases, due to strict permissions and review processes.
  2. Understanding the complexity and legacy technical debt of Meta's Graph API can be a hurdle for developers, especially those without a background in Meta engineering.
  3. The API review process can be hindered by outsourced contractors with limited understanding, leading to scripted responses and unnecessary requirements.

No one wants to host their own LLM Model or Blockchain Node

Olshansky's Newsletter • 12 HN points • 19 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Blockchain Infrastructure API Inference
  1. Users prefer paying for cheaper, faster, and easier-to-use solutions rather than hosting their own LLM models or blockchain nodes.
  2. Infrastructure companies in AI and Web3 are competing in a race to provide cost-effective services in a commoditized market.
  3. Success in open-core ecosystems requires balancing between hardware operation and gateway services, with a focus on reliability, performance, and cost.

Lessons from Plaid for a Future Energy Unicorn

Equal Ventures • 39 implied HN points • 11 Mar 22
🕹 Technology Energy Data API
  1. The energy sector is undergoing a digital transformation moving towards decentralized operations with renewables, envisioning a grid that resembles the internet.
  2. Data infrastructure plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the energy industry, with a focus on API solutions specific to the energy sector.
  3. Equal Ventures shared insights on the topic with Climate Tech VC, highlighting the importance of preparing for the evolving energy landscape and advocating for data-driven solutions.

💀 Life & Death (?) of Stack Overflow

HackerPulse Dispatch • 8 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Artificial Intelligence Coding API Data handling
  1. Understanding popular Stack Overflow questions reveals insights on efficiency, mastering tools, and effective problem-solving in coding.
  2. Monitoring Stack Overflow questions can provide developers with valuable signals for documentation improvements and API enhancements.
  3. The emergence of AI, like OpenAI's Codex and GitHub Copilot, is impacting traditional coding platforms like Stack Overflow, causing a decline in traffic and engagement.