The hottest APIs Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Alternative Ways to Make Your APIs Discoverable

The API Changelog • 3 implied HN points • 25 Jun 25
🕹 Technology APIs Software Development Automation Standards
  1. APIs can be easier to discover if businesses agree on a format to share information about them. This helps consumers find and understand how to use the APIs more effectively.
  2. There are various proposals, like APIs.json and DISCO, aimed at improving API discovery, but none have fully succeeded in the market yet. They offer different features, like documentation and service registration.
  3. The latest effort, RFC 9727, combines aspects of previous proposals and aims to improve how APIs are indexed. However, it still lacks some search capabilities that could make finding APIs easier.

Automating API Discovery with RFC 9727

The API Changelog • 6 implied HN points • 20 Jun 25
🕹 Technology APIs Software Development Data Formats Automation
  1. RFC 9727 introduces a way to easily find and use APIs through a programmatic catalog. This means both humans and machines can discover APIs more efficiently.
  2. It uses predefined paths and techniques like 'well-known' URIs to help consumers locate an api-catalog. This makes it simpler for anyone looking to advertise their APIs.
  3. The api-catalog document can have different formats, but it must include a list of links to APIs. However, having a consistent format could help consumers understand and discover the APIs better.

Google Trends API alternative: Wikipedia Pageview Statistics

Franz likes to code • 39 implied HN points • 05 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Programming APIs Data Analysis Python Wikipedia
  1. If you're having trouble with the Google Trends Python package, you can switch to using Wikipedia's page view statistics instead. It's a reliable and official way to get data on search trends.
  2. Wikipedia provides a rich API that allows you to fetch daily or hourly view counts for specific articles. This can help analyze how topics gain interest over time.
  3. You can use a simple Python code to find the page views for any Wikipedia article, making it easy to replace Google Trends in your research and get the data you need.

Are you delivering what you promised?

System Design Classroom • 279 implied HN points • 07 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Software APIs Systems Testing Performance
  1. Load tests help you see how well your API works with normal users. They show how many users it can support without slowing down.
  2. Stress tests push your API to its limits to find out what happens when it's overloaded. They help you prepare for crashes and see how fast it can recover.
  3. Spike tests check how your API handles sudden increases in traffic. They are important for making sure your service can handle bursts, especially during promotions.

The One and a Half Gemini

Don't Worry About the Vase • 1657 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Innovation APIs Digital Transformation
  1. Gemini 1.5 introduces a breakthrough in long-context understanding by processing up to 1 million tokens, which means improved performance and longer context windows for AI models.
  2. The use of mixture-of-experts architecture in Gemini 1.5, alongside Transformer models, contributes to its overall enhanced performance, potentially giving Google an edge over competitors like GPT-4.
  3. Gemini 1.5 offers opportunities for new and improved applications, such as translation of low-resource languages like Kalamang, providing high-quality translations and enabling various innovative use cases.
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What's an SDK?

Technically • 67 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming APIs Frameworks
  1. An SDK, or Software Development Kit, is like a toolbox for developers, helping them build apps without starting from scratch. It lets them use pieces of code made by others, saving a lot of time.
  2. There are different kinds of tools: libraries are small, focused pieces of code for specific tasks, while SDKs are larger, more comprehensive sets that cover broader tasks like payment processing.
  3. SDKs help developers use APIs easily by providing helpful tools and documentation. They make tasks simpler, so developers can focus on creating great apps instead of writing everything from the ground up.

Can TypeSpec Be an Alternative to OpenAPI?

The API Changelog • 3 implied HN points • 13 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Software Development APIs Engineering Code generation
  1. TypeSpec offers better features than OpenAPI for API development. It allows for strong typing and is more in tune with how developers want to work.
  2. Teams like Pinterest find value in using TypeSpec to create a single, unified schema for their APIs. This helps them generate different formats like OpenAPI and GraphQL more easily.
  3. You can use TypeSpec as your main API definition tool and still create OpenAPI documents when needed. This combination can make your workflow smoother and more effective.

Super Integration Fighter III

Health API Guy • 530 implied HN points • 10 Apr 23
🕹 Technology APIs Integration Data Exchange
  1. Integration with healthcare organizations can be achieved through three primary paths: direct-to-database, robotic process automation (screen-scraping), and sanctioned interfaces.
  2. Direct-to-database integration offers high potential but comes with challenges like varying schemas, brittle connections, and strict security protocols.
  3. Robotic process automation (screen-scraping) provides automation of repetitive tasks, easier access to data shown on user interfaces, and less complex security challenges compared to direct-to-database integration.

Nasdaq Tape D API, OatFi $24M, Salt Illuminate

The API Changelog • 3 implied HN points • 09 Jun 25
🕹 Technology APIs AI Software Security Fintech
  1. Postman has introduced a new AI feature called Agent Mode that makes API tasks much faster and easier. This means developers can spend less time on manual work and more time building.
  2. OatFi has raised $24 million to improve B2B payment solutions with their APIs. Their goal is to help businesses manage cash flow effectively through better financing options.
  3. Security updates are becoming a big focus in the API world, with companies like Salt Security launching tools to help organizations protect their APIs quickly. This is important to keep sensitive data safe and comply with regulations.

Artificial Intelligence is ushering in a new era of web scraping possibilities

The Orchestra Data Leadership Newsletter • 79 implied HN points • 14 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Web scraping Data Engineering APIs
  1. Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing web scraping by offering accelerated development processes and increased adoption of scraping use-cases in Data.
  2. The complexity of parsing HTML and the challenges associated with web scraping, such as changing schemas, time durations, and legality, can be mitigated with AI-enabled tools.
  3. AI-enabled web scraping tools like Nimble and Diffbot provide reliable solutions for efficiently extracting data from the internet and handling challenges like managing proxies and optimizing scraping speed.

Kernel Bypass with Solarflare

Low Latency Trading Insights • 196 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Networking Hardware Software APIs Latency
  1. Solarflare specializes in high-performance, low-latency networking solutions like NICs used in data centers and financial services.
  2. Solarflare provides hardware such as Flareon adapters and XtremeScale NICs for high-speed networking.
  3. Software offerings from Solarflare like Onload and TCP Direct provide APIs for accelerated network performance and lower latency.

Permissions, AI, and Plato’s Ideal API

Permit.io’s Substack • 79 implied HN points • 09 May 24
🕹 Technology APIs AI Security Development Authorization Infrastructure
  1. APIs are now seen more as tools that users consume rather than just things developers create. This shift means we have to think about how APIs are used and managed from both ends.
  2. As APIs are used more, especially with AI, monitoring costs and handling errors are super important. Developers need to be careful about how many calls they make to avoid big bills and errors.
  3. The way we set permissions and handle security for APIs is changing. It's crucial to apply consistent security rules across all parts of an application, not just in isolated areas.

JWTs - Use Responsibly

Permit.io’s Substack • 59 implied HN points • 23 May 24
🕹 Technology Web Development Cybersecurity Authentication APIs Data Structures
  1. JWTs are great for authentication but should be used carefully. They are not meant for detailed permission checks and can create security issues if misused.
  2. They are static once issued, meaning any changes to a user's role won't be reflected until the token expires. This can lead to potential security risks.
  3. JWTs are suitable for stateless, distributed systems and coarse-grained authorization, but for fine-grained control, other tools should be used.

Accelerate by years part IV - The prototype

Opral (lix & inlang) • 19 implied HN points • 23 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Databases APIs Programming Tech Innovation
  1. Using SQLite can really speed up the development of both inlang and lix. This saves a lot of time on needing to create complex systems.
  2. Lix 1.0 is coming soon, with simple plugins that can manage changes easily. This makes it easy for apps to work with changes directly.
  3. The next steps involve building a user interface for merging data and creating a plugin for inlang. This should help make the system more efficient.

Skimmer Enterprise Pool API, FrankieOne Fraud Detection

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 16 Jun 25
🕹 Technology APIs AI Software Fraud Detection Productivity Finance
  1. Apple announced updates for their products, including new features for visionOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 to improve user experience.
  2. OpenAI has seen significant growth in revenue and has made its AI models more affordable, staying competitive with other companies in the AI space.
  3. New tools and partnerships are emerging in the fintech and security sectors, enhancing API integration and fraud detection capabilities.

Whatsapp Is Irreplaceable

Just Messaged • 99 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Messaging Social media Digital Platforms APIs E-commerce
  1. WhatsApp has become a dominant communication medium worldwide, surpassing traditional methods like phone calls and SMS.
  2. Zuckerberg's strategic acquisition of WhatsApp highlighted the value of its irreplaceability factor and led to the introduction of business solutions within the platform.
  3. The development of the WhatsApp Business API opened up new opportunities for businesses to interact with customers, paving the way for WhatsApp to become a potential super app with various functionalities.

So... what are RPCs [System Design Sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 219 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Systems Design Communication Distributed Computing APIs Networking
  1. Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) allow for program procedures to execute in a different address space without the programmer having to explicitly write details for the remote interaction.
  2. RPCs are prevalent in modern systems design due to their efficiency, scalability, and flexibility in enabling communication between various services.
  3. RPCs are a powerful tool for building distributed computing systems, offering advantages such as efficiency, scalability, and flexibility in communication between services.

sqlmesh init -t dlt --dlt-pipeline bluesky duckdb

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Data Engineering APIs Databases Automation
  1. Using dlt to work with Bluesky API allows for easy data extraction. It saves time by handling metadata and schema changes automatically.
  2. dlt simplifies dealing with nested data by creating separate tables. This makes it easier to manage complex data structures.
  3. sqlmesh can quickly generate SQL models based on dlt pipelines. This feature streamlines the workflow and reduces manual setup time.

dlt windsurfing

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Data Engineering AI Programming APIs
  1. dlt is a Python tool that helps organize messy data into clear, structured datasets. It's easy to use and can quickly load data from many sources.
  2. Using AI tools like Windsurf can make coding feel more collaborative. They help you find solutions faster and reduce the burden of coding from scratch.
  3. Storing data in formats like parquet can make processing much quicker. Simplifying your data handling can save you a lot of time and resources.

sqlmesh init duckdb

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data science Software Development APIs Analytics Cloud Computing
  1. There's a new public repository called bluesky-data where people can collaborate and follow along with its development. It's easy to get started by setting it up on your local machine.
  2. Using sqlmesh with the Bluesky data can provide real-time data availability, while also allowing for a more complete view of the data in a batch processing style. This means you can get both immediate updates and historical data.
  3. It's better to start with dlt and then initialize sqlmesh within that project. This way, you can efficiently manage large datasets without needing to compute everything each time.

Teaching Language Models to use Tools

Deep (Learning) Focus • 176 implied HN points • 29 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning APIs Models Deep Learning
  1. Teaching LLMs to use tools can help them overcome limitations like arithmetic mistakes, lack of current information, and difficulty with understanding time.
  2. Giving LLMs access to external tools can make them more capable in solving complex tasks by delegating subtasks to specialized tools.
  3. Different forms of learning for LLMs include pre-training, fine-tuning, and in-context learning, which all contribute to enhancing the model's performance and capability.

sqlmesh model kinds - 1

davidj.substack • 59 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data Modeling Software Development APIs Machine Learning Databases
  1. There are different types of models in sqlmesh, such as full, view, and embedded models, each having unique functions and uses. It's important to choose the right model type based on how fresh or how often you need the data.
  2. SCD Type 2 models are useful for managing records that change over time, as they track the history of changes. This can make analyzing data trends much easier and faster.
  3. External models in sqlmesh allow you to reference database objects not managed by your project. This can simplify data modeling and documentation, as they automatically gather useful metadata.

RAG is more than just vectors

Tribal Knowledge • 11 HN points • 17 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI/ML Data Storage APIs Data retrieval
  1. RAG provides context to an LLM by fetching data from various sources, not just vector databases. It can use any data store to enhance the language model's predictions.
  2. Context for an LLM can include system prompts, chat history, RAG, fine-tuning, and more. Any way to turn information into text can improve LLM performance.
  3. RAG can work with vectors, but it's not limited to them. By enabling the LLM to call functions, it can fetch data from a variety of sources beyond vectors, like relational or graph databases.

sqlmesh model kinds - 2

davidj.substack • 47 implied HN points • 09 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Data Management Software Development Data Warehousing APIs
  1. There are three types of incremental models in sqlmesh: Incremental by Partition, Unique Key, and Time Range. Each type has its own unique method for handling how data updates are processed.
  2. Incremental models can efficiently replace old data with new data, and sqlmesh offers better state management compared to other tools like dbt. This allows for smoother updates without the need for full-refresh.
  3. Understanding how to set up these models can save time and resources. Properly configuring them allows for collaboration and clarity in data management, which is especially useful in larger teams.

Exploring recent Python repositories

Mostly Python • 314 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Programming Open Source Web Development Software Engineering APIs
  1. Use the GitHub API to explore popular new Python projects and find potential projects to contribute to.
  2. Consider filtering out AI-focused projects when exploring Python repositories to discover a variety of coding projects.
  3. Pruning repositories using specific terms can help identify non-AI Python projects to work on, providing valuable learning opportunities.

OpenAPI Is Not Enough

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 06 Jun 25
🕹 Technology APIs Software Programming Development Standards
  1. OpenAPI is a useful tool for defining REST APIs but has limitations that can affect complex API development. It may not always help in generating high-quality code for sophisticated APIs.
  2. Alternatives to OpenAPI, like TypeSpec from Microsoft and Smithy from Amazon, are gaining attention for their ability to better define APIs and improve developer experience. They offer features like better syntax support and the ability to generate various API assets.
  3. There is a need for OpenAPI to address its limitations as more companies explore different API definition languages. This could enhance interoperability and standardization in API development.

HCF EP 004: Indexing and Querying

Hasen Judi • 35 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Programming Databases Web Development APIs
  1. You can create a simple forum with posts that track who made them and when. Each post can include basic content, like a Tweet.
  2. Using indexes helps you quickly find posts by user or hashtags. This makes searching through posts much faster and easier.
  3. Automated testing is a great way to ensure everything works as expected without needing to manually check each part of your code.

GPTs won't make you rich

Artificial Ignorance • 142 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Marketplace APIs Productivity Monetization
  1. GPTs are valuable for improving productivity with advanced prompts, document uploads, and external APIs.
  2. Building a business solely around GPTs is challenging due to factors like limited IP protection, competition, and uncertain revenue sharing.
  3. The true potential of GPTs lies in internal company use cases, where they can enhance efficiency and workflow automation.