What is a developer portal?

Examples of a developer portal, or dev portal, are APIs (application programming interfaces) and SDKs (software development kits). From this self-service hub, developers can access API documentation, code samples, demos, tutorials, and other resources that guide and improve the developer experience.

A developer portal is the home for all development-related needs for an API product, while also serving to inspire trust in an API and explain its business value. It can be used to accelerate integration, reduce onboarding and deployment time, and clarify common questions about the API and supporting components.

Components of a developer portal

• API documentation: To use APIs effectively, developers need comprehensive and organized documentation that describes an API, its functionalities, parameters, endpoints, and authentication methods.

• Code samples and SDKs: API platforms provide snippets of sample code and SDKs (software development kits) in various programming languages. These examples of APIs in action help developers to get started quickly and demonstrate how to implement specific functionalities.

• API playground: Also called a sandbox environment, this interface allows developers to experiment with APIs without impacting live data. You can make API calls, view responses, and test scenarios before integrating the API with your application.

• Authentication and access: The portal hosts information on how to obtain API keys or access tokens required for authentication and authorization, including guidelines for implementing secure practices to protect data.

• Community support: A developer portal may offer FAQs, forums, or discussion boards where developers can ask questions, share experiences, and get answers from each other or support agents.

• Release notes: Also known as the changelog, release notes tell developers about updates and improvements made to the API. This way, they can adapt code to the latest version of the API.

• Rate limiting and usage analytics: For potential scaling needs, a developer portal may offer information about rate limits for API calls and API usage analytics to help developers scale without disruption.

• Onboarding: Robust portals will offer guidance to developers in the form of tutorials, quick-start guides, and other resources that help them get started quickly.

A developer portal is a self-service hub that helps developers quickly and effectively use and integrate APIs in an app. To check out these developer resources, head over to the Sendbird developer portal.