Category:APIDesignPatterns:Evolution

From APIDesign

First version of an API is never perfect. APIs need to be ready for being insufficient and imagine potential direction of future changes. All the time there is a need to evolve, extend use-cases and provide more functionality.

Doing this in backward compatible way ensures that usages of previous version of the API remains valid in future. This greatly reduces cost of Ownership for users of such APIs.

Evolution of an API requires well though plan. One needs to be ready for extending already existing pieces. Usage of proper APIDesignPatterns patterns listed at this category will make such future, unknown changes easier: