How OAuth 2 trumps Basic authentication

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So many negatives have been brought forth in the past on OAuth 2. Where there might be continuing points of contention, there is one area which seems to be clear: the “Resource Owner Password Credentials Grant” (OAuth 2 Spec, section 4.3) pattern as defined in the OAuth 2 spec is fundamentally superior to HTTP Basic authentication.

This formula describes gaining access to server resources directly. This approach might be utilized when you are securing your own resources; for instance, your mobile app that is accessing your own API.
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APIDays San Francisco

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At the conclusion of the first API Days San Francisco, one thing is clear above all else: APIs are in. Huge growth in the startup space developing APIs and major acquisitions amongst the larger companies are a great indicator of a burgeoning API ecosystem. Despite a wide variety of opinions and philosophies in the speaking arrangement capable of satisfying any developers thirst for insight, one common theme prevailed: APIs are a critical component of any modern development strategy.

API Economy Panel – Image by Michael Pratt

Rather than providing a simple recap, let’s touch on a few of the most important and emerging topics discussed.

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The Accept Header: A Quick Primer

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When developing an API, one of the first critical decisions every developer must face is that of Content Type. In this day and age most APIs return one or both of JSON or XML.

photo by Sean Svadilfari

Some APIs get away with one, and that’s fine, but to improve the UX of your API, you should allow the requestor to determine what data type is best for them. If you’ve read the post on API Content Negotiation, you’ll know the best way to approach content negotiation is to follow the standards.

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API Hierarchy of Needs

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The API hierarchy of needs is inspired by the work of Abraham Maslow, a psychologist who created a theory that explains how human needs are fulfilled — the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

API Hierarchy of Needs

API Hierarchy of Needs

While Maslow’s goal was to understand and explain the priorities of human needs, from breathing and feeding to self-esteem and morality, the API hierarchy of needs explains different characteristics that make an API usable.

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