Top 10 API Tools for Developers
The primary objective of tools developers use is to make life easier and enhance work processes. With APIs, the story is pretty much the same. Developers use a ton of tools to keep sane, manage APIs and churn out quality API products.
To help you choose the diamonds in the rough, here’s a list of the top 10 API tools for developers in 2022.
Observability Tools
API observability is a way of keeping track of APIs that uses an agent or SDK to passively log API traffic to an observability service.
1. APIToolkit
APIToolkit is an automated comprehensive API observability and monitoring platform for API contract monitoring and documentation. It was built by software engineers to help solve problems that could potentially cause lots of losses (data, revenue, customers, etc).
Using the best-in-class technology, APIToolkit leverages a highly specialized and powerful platform to provide a secure environment for developers to build and maintain APIs with enhanced analytics.
APIToolkit spots broken apis, changed fields, etc., before your customers.
2. Moesif
Moesif is an API monitoring platform that provides API analytics and tools to help users manage their APIs.
It includes features that let developers track funnel metrics like activation rate, understand API usage and implement usage-based pricing in a few clicks with billing meters.
3. Datadog
Datadog is an API monitoring tool that lets you automate site availability monitoring and reduce the average time it takes to get to the cause.
It also allows you to validate all the layers of your systems (from HTTP to DNS) from multiple geolocations, letting you focus on areas that are vital to your business by creating custom locations.
Datadog offers infrastructure monitoring and log management, as well as database, network, and serverless monitoring
Datadog’s API testing starts at $5/10k tests a month.
Testing Tools
API testing is a software testing type that validates Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
4. Apache JMeter
Apache is a free open source testing API tool that supports plugins and third-party integrations. It is regarded as one of the best API tools designed to help developers. It is used for reviewing applications and is a 100% Javascript-based desktop application.
The main use of this tool is to test the performance of web apps. Apache JMeter is based on GUI (Graphical User Interface) design and provides straightforward and swift interface capabilities using which multithreading is done.
5. Apigee
Apigee lets you design, scale, and analyze APIs anywhere with ease. Moreover, it is one of the best tools for API testing.
Its key features include:
- Artificial intelligence-supported API monitoring
- Deploying flexibility using Apigee hybrid
- Digital asset monetization
- Microserver management as APIs etc.
With Apigee, you can also view insights across the API value chain. Apigee offers free sign-ups, and you need to subscribe to one of its three pricing plans to continue using it.
6. SoapUI
SoapUI is a highly efficient cross-platform testing API tool that offers a GI (Graphical Interface) to its users and lets you make and execute automated functional, compliance, and regression tests.
With it, you can easily manage tests on REST, GraphQL APIs, JMS, SOAP, JDBC, and multiple other web services.
Price: SoapUI does offer a free trial period, but its pricing is based on the features you include in your plan. The pricing plans start at $599 per year.
Browser Extensions
Browser extensions are tiny programs that enhance your browser by adding new features and personalizing your browsing experience.
7. Postman
Postman is one of the best API tools used by 7M developers all around the world. Postman offers a wide range of features for developers to use, such as designing, debugging, mocking, testing, monitoring, documenting, and more. In addition, it is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Price: Postman is priced at $12 for each user per month (billed annually) or $15 per month (billed monthly).
8. JSON Formatter
API tools like JSON Formatter are essential for debugging APIs. It supports JSON and JSONP, syntax highlighting, clickable URLs, collapsible trees, and the ability to toggle between raw and parsed JSON.
It is also possible to work on any valid JSON page with its help, as the URL does not affect it. It also works on local files, and with its help, developers can check the JSON simply by typing “JSON” in the console.
9. HttpRequester
It is yet another excellent API tool made specifically for Mozilla Firefox that can be used for making HTTP requests like GET, PUT, DELETE, and POST. It can also be used for viewing responses and recording transaction history.
This tool is handy for working on web or REST development and deleting or extracting raw text versions of history.
10. Swagger
Swagger deserves its own category. SWAGGER is an API tool that developers across a broad range of companies and organizations can use. Anyone can use this open-source tool to visualize and interact with API resources without having to implement any logic.
Swagger allows its users to write API documentation, plan and report new APIs, and edit existing APIs. Thus, Swagger lets all its users save tremendous time for API documentation.
Conclusion
Whatever your API tool stack is, you definitely cannot afford to do without real-time monitoring and observability from APIToolkit.
If you still aren’t convinced, you should check this out.