Hire API Developer in Ukraine

Anastasia Stefanuk

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of tools that helps programmers build and integrate software applications. Its main role is to allow applications to communicate with each other, request information, and receive it instantly. With this technology, API programmers can deliver new applications faster and reuse the existing software to make them more functional and powerful.

Here is a simple example of what API development services can do. When you open a weather app on your phone to look for the forecast, it sends a request to the server that asks for specific information – forecast for this date in your city. The server responds with this data, and you’ll get a forecast on your mobile device. API allows these two sides to communicate – an application on your phone and a remote server.

Companies look for API developers for hire because this API technology offers the opportunity to re-use existing software without knowing how they are structured and implemented. For example, a remote API developer needs to create a new gaming app that requires user registration. Instead of building this feature, they can use an API to register with a Facebook or Google account. In this case, the API team does not need to know anything about Facebook registration; all they need to do is use specific protocols that request such data.

Companies use API consulting and development to create solutions faster, cheaper, and with extended functionality.

A business can be interested in Dropbox API integration or Google Maps API usage. Custom API development ensures new revenue channels, strong market presence with relevant software solutions, brand exposure, and innovation through collaboration.

The main difference between an API and a database-backed project is that an API doesn’t need a frontend (HTML, CSS). It only takes simple HTTP requests to get data.

API integration services can be used for client applications or internal use. In any case, they allow building more innovative and functional solutions.

Best Frameworks for Building API

Programming languages such as JavaScript and Python have a variety of frameworks from which to choose. But not all frameworks are designed to build APIs. We offer you to get acquainted with a selection of leading frameworks for API development.

Node JS API frameworks:

1. Sails. It is an open-source MVC Node JS API framework. It features an excellent API generator called Blueprints, as well as stability and ease of use.
2. Express. It is a free and open-source framework for developing the server-side of web applications. This Node JS API framework enables the creation of web apps and APIs at a fast pace.
3. Loopback. It is one of the most widely used Node JS REST API frameworks for connecting apps to data over the REST API. Loopback enables rapid development as well as a wide range of settings and configurations.
4. Restify. It is a Node JS REST API framework, which is both stable and constantly updated. Its purpose is to build the semantically correct REST services.

Python API frameworks:

1. Falcon. It is a minimalistic Python web API framework, which is considered one of the fastest. With Falcon, you can create an easy-to-develop, easy-to-maintain, and easy-to-scale API.
2. Django REST. It is a Python-based framework that uses standard Django models to build a project’s flexible and powerful API. With this framework, you can easily standardize database queries while creating a RESTful WEB API.
3. FastAPI. It is a framework for building brief and fast, as the name implies, HTTP API servers. FastAPI supports asynchronous programming and enables serialization and deserialization of data.
4. Flask RESTful. It is an extension for the Flask framework that allows you to develop the REST API quickly and with minimal customization.

Different Types of API

API enables information transition of set terms between several software products. It consists of API types: the technical specification – documentation that describes terms of information exchange and the form of requesting it and a software interface.

Java/RESTful API developers deal with functional calls – language phrases that request a specific action from other applications.

There are several types of API to choose from. According to the release policy, they are:

• Private. These APIs are used only within the company for their internal needs. It gives the company full control of API ;
• Partner. These APIs are promoted and shared only with set business partners. AWS API development services, in this case, offer wider functionality and new ways to increase revenue;
• Public. These APIs are available for everyone to use and integrate. Companies can hire API developer to increase brand awareness in this case and increase income.

According to the systems they are made for, APIs can be:

• Database. It helps an application to communicate with a database management system. Users can make inquiries for various databases at the same time, for example;
• Operating systems. These APIs integrate applications with an operating system. Every OS, whether it is Windows, Linux, Android, or iOS, has a set of APIs;
• Remote. These APIs ensure communication between applications that are installed on different devices. So if an app needs to request data stored outside of this device, it needs a set of APIs.
• Web. A web API development company helps to integrate data with web-based software. It is a client-server architecture powered by HTTP. It is used for mobile and web applications and websites. For example, a web API REST programmer can use Google Maps API to integrate it into a website to show locations.

Web APIs also differ as to their specifications. Specifications make data exchange a standardized practice. They are also needed for communication between software written on different coding languages and running on different OS. Even in the case of changes in one of the solutions, the API will run smoothly. As to specifications, different API types can be:

• RPC (Remote Procedure Call) – the oldest technology. The protocol details the way solutions interact. It is simple and straightforward – one program requests data from another one (client-server);
• SOAP (Service Object Access Protocol) is a protocol designed by Microsoft. It can work in a decentralized environment. It allows only the XML messaging through HTTP or SMTP. XML is simple, flexible, and can be read both by humans and machines. Its main advantage is high security; that’s why it is used mostly for private enterprise APIs and internal web-based solutions. It is widely used in finance and banking as well as telecommunications.
• REST (Representational State Transfer) is not a protocol but is a software architectural style. It has six main constraints that allow working through HTTP. It is mostly used for the World Wide Web. It makes data accessible as resources with unique URLs and is generally easier than SOAP. Web APIs are based on this architecture are called RESTful APIs and can message in many different formats like JSON, HTML, XML, and YAML. RESTful APIs are used by Twitter and Expedia, for example.
• GraphQL was created by Facebook. A GraphQL engineer ensures faster development and productive data loading. Shopify, Coursera, and GitHub use it. It is a query language that specifies what data is needed and can get it from several sources. Only one API call is needed to retrieve this information. It is also widely used for mobile apps as it ensures faster performance.

Depending on their projects and requirements, companies can hire Google API developer or an engineer that focuses specifically on GraphQL.

API developers; Projects, Competencies, Languages

One might ask,” how do I hire an API programmer for my company?” It starts with defining roles and projects an API programmer for hire can tackle.

The role of an API developer depends on their experience and skills and the company’s needs. Generally, there can be three of them:

• Architect. Whether it is PayPal developer API or web developer PHP API, the main responsibility is to evaluate the project’s needs and draft the architecture of the future solution. Architect helps a business choose the type of API and best implementation practices for developing such a system. 
• Engineer. It is a professional responsible for the coding, testing, and troubleshooting of the API system drafted by the architect. The goal is to develop an API solution that goes along with business needs and is effective.
• Support. An employee responsible for troubleshooting and maintaining an API system when it is developed and deployed.

The main competencies of an API contractor are:

• Design of connected systems. Whether API is used for IoT, cloud solutions, or web applications, the main goal is to create flawless and instant communication between software for increased productivity. Such professionals need to be knowledgeable in Big Data, security, cloud solutions, mobile, and web development;
• Implementation of cross-platform apps. Such solutions cater to wider audiences and give businesses new revenue channels.
• Deep knowledge of specific tech stack. API developers are full-stack, which means they need to know all the stages and parts of development. They also need to excel in JavaScript, JSON, XML, Python, Java, and HTTP.

An API JavaScript developer is a high-level professional with many hard and soft skills as well as deep expertise in this sphere.

Microservices vs API

Before outlining the difference between microservices and APIs, let’s look at these two concepts:

• An API is a component of a web application that allows it to communicate with other apps. From a technical point of view, an API is a group of protocols and methods that determine how two applications share and modify each other’s data.
• A microservice is a style of software architecture that divides various functions of a program into smaller components called services. Each service operates as a separate software fragment in a broader system.

Speaking of microservice vs API, the first is about web application architecture, while the latter is a framework for interacting with web apps. Microservices and APIs typically go together, even though these are two different concepts. Services inside a microservice utilize APIs to interact with one another. To put it another way, if you want the microservice to operate correctly, you’ll need to build an API that allows you to cooperate within it.

Different API Specialists

Before you decide to hire API specialist, it is important to know what kinds of professionals are out there and what can be suitable for your project. Of course, not only do they need to have skills and experience but also they need to know a particular technology. For example, if you need a Salesforce API integration, it is important to find someone who knows Salesforce API specifications quite well.

GraphQL Engineer

A company can hire GraphQL developer when they need to build efficient mobile or web app. Such a professional ensures specific data calls and their speed (declarative data fetching). Developers use only one endpoint instead of multiple ones in REST. And the structure of the information returned is not fixed. It is a scalable, flexible, and fast solution. GraphQL coders also ensure real-time connection and subscriptions (event-based requests).

AWS REST API Developers

These developers work specifically with AWS cloud solutions to provide steady client-server communication architecture. It allows integrating various AWS functions that can power many custom apps with synchronous communication models. Such coders need to know AWS, REST, HTTP and be able to implement best practices. Such programmers can create paths to store and retrieve data on AWS cloud as well.

Azure API Management Developers

These experts work with Microsoft Azure API – full service for publishing, securing, and monitoring custom APIs. This secure software requires a wide knowledge of Microsoft services, JSON, XML, and JavaScript. Developers can create both cloud and on-premise APIs. Such employees can secure mobile infrastructures and enable partner ecosystems. They can also create and run an internal API program.

Oracle API Developer

Oracle offers a complete API management solution that can be used on cloud or on-premise. Professionals working with it implement advanced security measures and greater visibility and monitoring of APIs performance. They also deal with role-based control of protocols and requests. They are knowledgeable in REST and JSON technologies. The platform ensures automation and less coding, which increases the speed of development

Java/RESTful API Developers

These programmers work with web services and solutions, like sites and apps. They need to know REST, HTTP, and XML.  They create flexible systems with various types of data calls. The returned data can be presented in various formats too. It allows lightweight and scalable web development with REST architecture.

API JavaScript Developer

These professionals use JavaScript to add more functionality and performance to software. They create APIs that request only specific data, which saves time and decreases the storage of unnecessary information. Their primary focus is website or web application development.

Web Developer PHP API

PHP is a server-side language used for dynamic web pages. PHP API professionals ensure communication of the app with OS, web services, and common databases. They create PHP files that generate JSON for each response without REST. It is most efficient for working with huge databases.

SOAP API Developer

SOAP API provides an opportunity to create, get, update, or erase records from a software solution. It is used for easy password maintenance and comfortable searching. It also supports web services written in any language. It is used for working with OS, such as Windows or Linux.

API Developer Skills

Whether you hire a Google API developer or SOAP API engineer, you need to look for particular hard and soft skills.

Hard skills for API programmers:

• Deep knowledge of REST architectural style and JSON;
• Understanding and implementation of API-first design;
• Experience with different API frameworks;
•  JavaScript, PHP, HTTP, XML, Python;
• Optimization of API design to front-end apps;
• Understanding API functionality, and the best practices of integration architecture;
• Object-oriented coding and Java including frameworks (Spring MVC, Spring Security);
• Experience with UI development (HTML, CSS, Ajax).

An excellent API consultant also needs to possess such soft skills:

• Strong communication;
• Problem-solving approach;
• Critical thinking and analysis;
• Ability to reuse solutions;
• Leadership skills.

It is also important to always be on top of the industry news and follow new releases and arising technologies.

API Developer Responsibilities

Depending on particular project scope and business needs, an API developer can tackle such responsibilities:

• Review of the existing API design, its performance, and evaluate effectiveness;
• Creation of custom API calls and systems;
• Maintenance, support, and upgrade of the existing APIs;
• Planning, drafting, and developing a custom API framework;
• Implementing API technologies and best practices for the custom system;
• Provision of API documentation and specification.

If a business already uses a particular API system, an engineer can analyze its performance and suggest upgrades. Such employees can also develop a custom solution from scratch to ensure connectivity between types of different API software development.

API Developer Salary Rates

Both on-premise and cloud API development requires hiring excellent professionals to increase the ROI. But it is not always easy to find suitable professionals locally. Many companies choose to outsource these tasks because of that. And the second reason for outsourcing is the fact that salary rates fluctuate a lot from country to country. It is not surprising that hiring an API developer in Ukraine is cheaper than in the USA or Switzerland. Here are monthly salary rates in 5 countries to compare.

• USA – $9,587
• UK – $7,369
• Germany – $7,127
• Switzerland – $9,916
• Ukraine – $2,700*

*Ukrainian salaries are provided based on Mobilunity’s Recruitment Team research on the local job markets. All salaries are net and do not include the service fee (in case of hiring on a dedicated team model). The salaries are provided for comparison purposes and could not be entirely accurate. Contact us to know the exact cost of hiring a developer corresponding to the required parameters.

Hire API Development Team with Mobilunity!

Mobilunity is an expert outstaffing company in Ukraine. We have been hiring excellent development teams for international businesses for more than a decade. And we can find the best API team for your project with ease and in a short time.

Mobilunity has more than 40 satisfied clients from all over the world, such as ZenChef (France), CamptoCamp (Switzerland), Paidy (Japan), 3e Joueur (Canada), and ChipIn (UK). And we are ready to offer high-quality outstaffing service for your business.

Mobilunity combines access to Ukrainian IT talent with Western management to provide top-notch specialists for all software development projects.

Looking for excellent API programmers in Ukraine? Mobilunity is ready to help!