Don’t Build a General Purpose API (4 Years Later)

In 2021 I wrote an article encouraging people not to build general purpose APIs for their own front-ends. (You should probably read it before reading this one.) It got featured on Hacker News twice, albeit with a worse reception (and more heated discussion) the second time around. My guess is, more front-enders showed up. 😛 Having observed this approach for 6 years, I’ve only grown more confident in its success. Part of that confidence comes from seeing it play out. Our team vastly simplified maintenance, reduced bugs, and boosted performance by making the jump. (The jump was made possible by Long Term Refactors btw.) Another reason for my confidence is the many comments I’ve received over the years confirming that it works for other teams too. Finally, I’ve received a number of challenges and condemnations, although they were either entirely theoretical, or based on a misunderstanding of the article. Since I consider it somewhat my fault for not being clear enough, I want to address…