Five mistakes that increase the cost of API ownership

In the article, Jennifer Craig explores five common mistakes that can significantly increase the cost of API ownership and offers strategies to mitigate these expenses. The mistakes include failing to align API design with developer needs, selecting an inappropriate API style for consumers, treating APIs as mere technology solutions rather than products, frequently releasing breaking versions, and providing inadequate documentation. To address these issues, the article suggests adopting an "outside-in" API design approach, selecting API styles based on consumer needs, treating APIs as evolving products with continuous feedback and updates, minimizing the release of major breaking versions, and enhancing documentation to improve user experience and sales opportunities. By focusing on these aspects, API teams can effectively manage and reduce the overall cost of API ownership throughout the API lifecycle.