Building SDKs for internal APIs: How to Boost developer velocity

The blog post by Nolan Sullivan highlights the significant advantages of building Software Development Kits (SDKs) for internal APIs, emphasizing their potential to enhance developer velocity, improve API governance, and boost staff retention. It notes that a considerable portion of APIs are internal, with Postman's 2023 report indicating 61% are for private use, and that SDKs can greatly increase efficiency by reducing integration time by over 50% and minimizing errors in areas like authentication and serialization. The piece argues that SDKs not only eliminate repetitive integration work but also enhance consistency across development teams, which is crucial for successful API governance. It also mentions that high developer velocity correlates with business health and talent retention, as supported by a McKinsey study. However, the challenge lies in the complexity of creating and maintaining quality SDKs, especially for fast-moving teams using multiple programming languages. The article concludes by suggesting tools like Speakeasy, which can generate SDKs automatically from OpenAPI specifications, to ease the development process.