2020 State of the API Report

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had far-reaching effects, and the API industry has certainly seen some startling examples of this. Nearly 1/3 (30.6%) said that APIs played a role in their organization's ability to respond to COVID-19.

API developers' work environments changed, too. A large majority of organizations offered the option of remote work, with only 6.2% of them not allowing it, but only one-third of that majority used APIs to facilitate working remotely.

APIs have played a range of roles among the organizations that have used them to boost productivity during changes brought on by COVID-19, with many utilizing APIs specifically for customer communications, powering remote work options, and quickly responding to regulatory changes and government initiatives.

API-first leaders were more likely to work for an organization where APIs played a role in their ability to respond to COVID-19. Respondents with 6+ years of API development experience were more likely to work for an organization that offered remote work as a result of COVID-19. For organizations that did offer remote work, API-first leaders were more likely to work for an organization where APIs played a role in ability to work remotely.

We also asked respondents about their organization's investment in digital transformation initiatives. Only a slight majority of companies reported that they are working on digital transformation, but among them, 84.5% reported that APIs were helping them do that.

API-first leaders were more likely to work for an organization working on a digital transformation initiative. For respondents whose organizations are working on digital transformation, both API-first leaders and respondents with 6+ years of API development experience were more likely to report that APIs play a significant role.