API3 API Integrations Report, October 2021
Right now is an immensely exciting time to be a part of API3 and Web3. With the rate that everything that is happening in Web3, Airnode v0.2 couldn’t have come at a better time. October was the last month in our 3-month cycle and while it was fun, the anticipation for the next cycle is palpable.
Since Airnode has been in pre-alpha and not production-ready, this cycle has been more exploratory than production-focused. Our feedback gives the Core Dev team insight into what their designs are like in practice. In the process of integrating over 100 APIs to the Airnode Pre-alpha Specs we:
- Provided feedback to the core devs on the configuration experience.
- Gained a thorough understanding of providers’ needs and concerns, and the prioritization of those needs.
- Explored and defined the limitations of Airnode.
In August, with the announcement of the API3 Alliance, 150+ Data Providers have decided to take the leap into Web3 with our help. While we were in the pre-alpha phase, building a solid foundation for scaling integrations was a top priority. This meant focusing less on the quantity of pre-alpha Airnodes deployed and more on using the API3 Alliance providers as an opportunity to develop internal integration tools, build a communications pipeline, produce materials for using their deployed Airnode, and mitigate common friction points. We’ve made huge strides on all of those fronts and had 35 API providers deploy testnet Airnodes!
Working with providers has been such a pleasant experience. Most are just as thrilled as we are about Web3. Some providers have been in Web3 for a while and are more impressed with the ease and speed of integration and the minimal legwork for them. Some notable providers that are running testnet Airnodes include Finage, Kaiko, Open Bank Project, and World Weather Online to name a few. Some providers have even volunteered to help support El Salvador’s upcoming Bitcoin Bankathon Hackathon by providing participants access to their testnet Airnodes. Our team is working directly with these volunteers to ensure their Airnodes include the RSK chain, and that participants are properly whitelisted and guided through making Airnode requests from their smart contracts.
The next cycle could be one of API3’s most important cycles. We need to be prepared to transition providers from Airnode pre-alpha to v0.2 and eventually to mainnet. Providers will have the opportunity to participate in the El Salvador hackathon and future hackathons on various chains. The integration team is the main point of contact for API provider technical teams, so it’s very important that we make sure that we are prepared every step of the way.
The update to v0.2 includes some breaking changes in the way we typically integrate and deploy Airnodes in pre-alpha. After we update our tools to adopt those changes, we will also need to formulate what we think would be the best standard for configuration for the average API provider. This means considering subjects like HTTP Gateway, Heartbeats, Secrets interpolation, Authorizers, ChainAPI, and the new deployment flow for a provider.
As a member of the DAO, I’m very proud to be a part of API3. As a developer and Airnode user, I couldn’t be more excited about what’s next!
