[JoeAltmaier]

My buddy enjoys rendering weather data. Using just one source- NOAA - he has to update the app several times a year to respond to their capricious, random changes to web interfaces, server names, random hosting requirements and so on. Its a real thing to factor into any data-repackaging app.

[abakker]

Definitely true. APIs aren't standard, they aren't guaranteed, and they require constant vigilance from the consuming app's POV. Notably though, these aren't mostly paid APIs. If its free data, then the developers should do what they think best presents the free data they are giving away.

On the other hand, if you want a great example of how to do it right, salesforce.com has a pretty great API strategy. rather than try for some "version-less ideal" API, they release new versions and new endpoints, and have only ever deprecated old APIs for security reasons.

I suspect that when APIs are changing all the time, it is because the API's implementation is too close to the underlying application or data structure. In an ideal state, the APIs are only supposed to present data in a certain way, and shouldn't necessarily be determined by the actual structure of that data in an application or database.

[wingerlang]

Assuming you mean iOS app which is hard to update instantly. Maybe he would benefit from creating his own middle-man server-api that the app talks to. That way he just needs to update the server-code and the app will still get the right values.

Just some thoughts, maybe it doesn't apply.

[JoeAltmaier]

Definitely a good idea for walled-garden environments. No, he's on Windows desktop and mobile. Not a showstopper there.