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Cover image for 5 solid reasons you should create a library/SDK for your api
Kiggundu Jude
Kiggundu Jude

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5 solid reasons you should create a library/SDK for your api

As a developer who values efficiency (and may be a sprinkle of laziness 😅), one of the things I really appreciate is a tool being easy to learn and use especially apis included. For instance, I for one really enjoy backend development and actually find it easier contrary to memes😅(or popular belief) but when it comes to frontend development my nemesis css is always there make my life difficult. So, I would really like it if nothing else on the frontend made it any harder, and that's why i developed the habit of writing libraries or SDKs and below are the top 5 reasons why should also try it.

Oh, I forgot what to explain library or sdk is 😅
Think of a library as your favorite pre-cooked meal, it’s all ready to go, saving you from cooking (or coding) everything from scratch. It abstracts away the complexity and intricacies of performing an action saving you from re inventing the wheel, for example, bcrypt is a hashing library that can hash/encrypt passwords for you without you having to write an algorithm to do that, saving you a lot of time,effort,tears,sweat,blood....you get what am saying.
So building a library for your api would prove invaluable both to you and other developers your working with. Here are the reasons why,

1. Ease of integration
If your a developer whether full stack or frontend developer a library makes integration and interaction with an api much easier. For instance, if I'm on the frontend and want to get all products from an endpoint.
Imagine writing a fetch request, handling errors, parsing JSON, and worrying about timeouts. Now compare that to calling a simple function
like;

const products = await getAllRecords('products') 
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The function could look something like this in your library;

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What would you rather do?

2. Reusability, centralisation
The function like the one shown above is reusable throughout your whole codebase without much trouble and centralises http request logic making it easier to manage and update throughout your codebase. And with this, I have an excuse to not to use props in react.

3. Boosts developer adoption
Without a library, I’d have to explain my API endpoint by endpoint—often mid-project, in frantic Slack messages. A library takes care of that, making collaboration a breeze (and arguments a rarity).
In fancy words 'It reduces friction and lowers entry barrier for developers'

4. Improve performance and efficiency
A library can optimize network requests, handle retries, and implement caching, making API interactions faster and more reliable. This ensures a better experience for end-users and developers your working with.

Imagine an SDK that batches API calls automatically:

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5. Makes you look cool
An official library demonstrates your commitment to quality and your understanding of developer needs. With a polished library, you’re not just a developer, you’re a developer’s developer, the kind who thinks ahead and delivers tools that make everyone’s life easier.
Hence making you seem like there's more to you than coffee addiction.

In conclusion
If you’re building an API, don’t stop there, craft a library or SDK that turns your API into a joy to use. You’ll not only save time but earn a reputation as the kind of developer others love working with. You'll also thank yourself for all the frustration you'd have saved yourself.

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