With a pandemic that has disrupted businesses globally, APIs are being used for new services that are being consumed daily. With that comes the growth of API usage. In this article, we explore several reasons why this is taking place.
Growth of APIs
First, mobile phone use is up — way up! More demand for united and connected services is playing a hand in the explosion of API use. People want their services enabled by APIs here and now — on the go and on-demand.
Furthermore, innovative factors are taking place with APIs. New features are being added to applications every day for rapid development.
And the pandemic has led to higher creation and consumption of new APIs in certain areas, like healthcare, remote work, or areas that cater to a more homebound lifestyle — deliveries and streaming.
Keeping up with the supply and demand is necessary. Today, connecting to apps is even faster than before. And novel approaches are popping up, such as service mesh.
New APIs due to COVID-19
Recent events have brought about the development of much new healthcare APIs, including those tracking COVID cases. People are looking for information at the swiftest level, and APIs deliver.
Case in point, a CoronavirusAPITrack API offers approved COVID-19 data from the US government. This is an all-encompassing API from 50 states, plus Washington, DC.
Today, data is also being confirmed on the blockchain. With strong usage and returns on the API, you get updated information about the number of people who have been tested, positive cases, and of those who have succumbed to the disease.
Other APIs on the rise include the Cardio API and Back4 APP which shows a graph of COVID cases across the country, as well as the number of cases and deaths.
Information overload
Today, due to strong demand, companies are disseminating even more information, which makes API growth unstoppable. Numerous websites have a plethora of information to gain further insights into COVID information that utilize APIs. Since the pandemic, these sites were non-existence.
Other sites provide links to show you where you can gain even more information on COVID information—all using APIs. From CORONA-19 monitor to data collection, there’s no end of the APIs being used at this time during the pandemic – information is key.
In France, the Stop COVID App was downloaded over 1.9 million times. This information is gained via APIs.
Other European countries jumped on the bandwagon and have created their own tracking apps from Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Switzerland to Germany. Other EU countries have agreed on a technical framework. This will help enable cross-border functionality.
Healthcare APIs
Since the pandemic, more doctors are using remote healthcare for consultations. Further, they are adopting more cloud solutions that provide better patient care and delivery. With better-integrated data, better access to patients is provided.
It’s no wonder that large enterprises are heavily investing in the rising demand for APIs. Consider that the growing need, as well as the government push for Cloud solutions, these factors are on the rise with institutions such as Medicaid. APIs are not going anywhere, they are only growing stronger every day.
Read why APIs matter for your business.