采用外部API就像选择一辆二手车.pdfVIP

How Adopting an External API is Like Purchasing a Used Car CM Crossroads recently published this API Testing article by Parasofts Wayne Ariola and Cynthia Dunlop Imagine youre looking to get a used car for your teenage daughter. Ideally, a trusted friend or relative is willing to give you a great deal on a hand-me-down that you know theyve treated with care. You see if your daughter likes it, then give it a test drive. If it seems like a good fit, youre all set. Now imagine that nobody you trust is looking to unload a car right now. Are you com- fortable putting your daughter in a car that you found from an independent seller on Craigslist? Or would you rest easier if you set her up with a certified preowned vehicle — something that passed a reputable dealers one hundred fifty-point quality assurance in- 上海市打浦路 1号金玉兰广场西楼 902 室 Rm. 902, Golden Magnolia Plaza, W.1 Dapu Road, Huangpu District 200023 Shanghai, P .R. China spection and was backed with a five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and roadside as- sistance? With service-oriented architecture (SOA), as with the hand-me-down car from a close friend or relative, the element of trust is key. Because youre familiar with the supplier, youre not so worried about the quality of the product. You can reasonably assume that certain standards have been met, and youre comfortable moving forward without exten- sive vetting. On the other hand, consuming external application programming interfaces (APIs) is more like purchasing a used car on the open market. With limited insight into its integrity (beyond API user ratings, w