What is an SDK?
Software development kit, is a set of tools and resources that developers use to create applications for a specific platform, such as iOS, Android or Window.
When should SDKS be used?
It is not necessary to do SDKS in all cases, but in some cases it is highly advisable:
- When the authentication system is non-standard or complicated (e.g. How to use AWS HMAC)
- When the user who can use the API is going to do so on platforms that do not require high programming knowledge (such as WordPress, shopify…)
- When you need to connect to device resources. For example, if you have to connect to the camera…
- When there are complex flows, such as financial onboarding.
SDK generators
The main generators are shown below:
OpenAPI Generator
This is a very popular open source tool that can automatically generate API clients, server stubs, and documentation from an OpenAPI specification. It is one of the most versatile and widely used options in the industry. It allows you to generate SDKs in a wide variety of languages, such as Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, Go, among many others.
Speakeasy
It is an SDK-as-a-Service that automates the generation and maintenance of SDKs. It differs from open source tools in that it offers a full service to generate, publish, and keep SDKs up to date as the API evolves. It is known for generating high-quality SDKs with a focus on the developer experience, including features such as automatic retries and support for authentication.
Fern
Like Speakeasy, Fern is a tool for generating SDKs and APIs. It focuses on consistency and ease of use. It allows developers to define their API in a simple format and then automatically generates clients, servers, documentation and even unit tests in various languages.
Stainless
It is another commercial platform that specialises in generating SDKs. It integrates directly into development and CI/CD workflows to keep SDKs in sync with API changes. It focuses on producing strongly typed SDKs to minimise runtime errors.
Apimatic
It is an API platform that includes a powerful code generation engine. Apimatic takes an API specification (such as OpenAPI, RAML, or API Blueprint) and generates SDKs for a wide range of platforms and languages. It also offers additional features such as API validation and format transformation.
Are you thinking of generating an SDK and looking for a company with experience?
