DGL.dev

Services

API Development and Integration

A lot of business software problems are really integration problems.

All services

A lot of what looks like a software problem is really an integration problem. The data exists, it is just in the wrong place, in the wrong shape, and moved by a person.

We build APIs and connect applications, databases, third party services, payment systems, analytics platforms, AI services, and existing business tools.

If your team is copying information from one system into another, there is a good chance part of that process can be automated.

Problems this solves

You may recognise some of these.

  • Two systems hold the same data and disagree
  • An integration breaks whenever the other side changes something
  • You want to sell access to your data and have no way to expose it safely
  • Onboarding a customer means somebody re keying a spreadsheet
  • Nobody can tell which system is the source of truth

What we do

The work itself

API design and build

Documented, versioned interfaces that other software can depend on.

Third party integration

Payments, analytics, communications, logistics, AI services and internal tools.

Data pipelines

Moving and reshaping data on a schedule, with failure handling that is visible.

Authentication and access control

Who can call what, and what happens when a key leaks.

Versioning

Changing an interface without breaking the people already using it.

Process

How an engagement runs

  1. Map the systems and the data

    What exists, who owns it, and which copy is authoritative.

  2. Define the contract first

    The interface is the product. Agreeing it early prevents rework.

  3. Build with failure in mind

    Retries, idempotency, and a clear signal when something did not happen.

  4. Document it properly

    An API nobody can integrate against is not finished.

  5. Version and support it

    Consumers outlive releases.

Technology

What we typically build this on

The technology is chosen around the project. The business problem comes first.

Questions

Things people ask before starting

Can you integrate with a system that has no API?
Frequently, though the approach depends on what the system exposes. It is one of the first things worth checking, because it changes the estimate substantially.
We want to turn our data into a product. Where does that start?
With the interface and the boundaries: what you are exposing, to whom, under what limits. We did exactly this internally when a scoring engine built for our own app became an API other organisations use.
How do you handle an integration breaking?
By assuming it will. Monitoring, retries and alerting are part of the build, because the failure mode of a silent integration is far more expensive than a loud one.

Tell us what you are trying to build

Tell us about the business, the problem, what you have today, and what you want to accomplish. If we are not the right team, we will tell you.

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