API Reuse Cost Savings
Use our API reuse calculator to see how much you could be saving per year in Consumer Developer costs with a catalog and portal for API reuse
API Reuse Metrics: How do we get these numbers?
Consumer Developer Activity Inputs and Descriptions
Number of Consuming Developers
This represents the number of developers consuming APIs to build their applications. Without a reliable API discovery and reuse mechanism, this number could be significantly higher. For instance:
- Developers unable to quickly locate reusable APIs might opt to build point-to-point services.
- Applications and integrations may inadvertently become dependent on each other, e.g., an application using data from another that consumes an API.
API Searches Per Developer Per Week
Tracks the number of times developers search for API-related information each week. This could include:
- Searching documentation repositories.
- Consulting architects or peers to facilitate API discovery and understanding.
- Navigating repositories and runtimes.
Number of Duplicate APIs
This represents APIs with overlapping or redundant functionality, often developed as point-to-point solutions. In most enterprises, this number is typically higher. By addressing these duplicates, organizations can:
- Consolidate APIs into composable, reusable solutions.
- Retire redundant APIs, reducing the effort required for maintenance, security, and operational overhead.
Hours Per Week on Manual Governance and Standards Validation. Estimates the time spent weekly by consuming developers on:
- Testing API functionality and resolving unexpected discrepancies.
- Updating applications dependent on APIs to comply with new enterprise policies or security standards.
- Communicating with API owners about changes, security concerns, and deployments.
- Responding to internal risk management and security compliance requests.
Note: This conservative estimate excludes potential costs related to risk exposure.
Average Developer Salary
Adjust this value to reflect your organization’s average annual salary for developers.
Average Time Spent in Minutes for API Discovery, API Reuse, Questions, Changes, and Updates Per Developer Per Week –
This metric estimates the weekly time spent by consuming developers on activities such as:
- Searching for APIs that meet their use case.
- Assessing whether they can adopt the API and understanding its dependencies.
- Communicating with API owners for documentation, expectations, and development requirements.
- Seeking approvals for API usage.
- Managing changes, understanding their impact, influencing roadmaps, and collaborating with other consumers.
Note: The actual elapsed time (including delays due to dependencies) may be higher, potentially impacting project costs.
Want to go through your organization's API reuse potential savings in more detail?
The ignite Platform by digitalML improves developer efficiency by up to 50% by streamlining API discovery, governance, and lifecycle management. Here’s how it drives these improvements:
Faster API Discovery (Saves 30-60 Minutes Per Search)
- Centralized API Catalog & Portal – Developers no longer waste time searching multiple sources or asking peers for APIs. ignite provides a single source of truth with comprehensive metadata, API versioning, and dependency tracking.
- Advanced Search & Filtering – Powerful search capabilities help developers find APIs by business function, domain, or technical attributes in seconds instead of hours.
Impact: Saving time. Reduces the time spent searching for APIs from hours per week to minutes.
Increased API Reuse (Reduces Redundant Development by 50%)
- Composability & Reusability Tools – ignite promotes the reuse of existing APIs through clear documentation, business-aligned API taxonomies, and dependency visibility.
- Eliminates Duplicate API Development – Developers no longer unknowingly create redundant APIs, avoiding wasted effort.
Impact: Prevents unnecessary API development and accelerates time-to-market.
Reduced Time Spent on API Governance & Compliance (Automates 80% of Manual Effort)
- Automated Policy & Security Compliance – ignite integrates enterprise policies, ensuring APIs meet security, legal, and compliance requirements without manual intervention.
- Self-Service Governance – Developers can self-assess APIs against governance frameworks, avoiding bottlenecks with central IT teams.
Impact: Reduces time spent on manual governance validation from hours per week to minutes.
Streamlined API Consumption & Integration (Reduces Onboarding Time by 50%)
- Clear API Ownership & Documentation – ignite provides consistent, machine-readable API documentation, eliminating the need for lengthy back-and-forth communication with API owners.
- Lifecycle & Change Management – Developers get proactive impact analysis and notifications about API changes, reducing the risk of integration failures.
Impact: Cuts the time spent on API integration issues, debugging, and approvals.
Eliminates Hidden Dependencies & Improves Change Management (Reduces Risk by 50%)
- API Dependency Mapping – Developers can instantly see which APIs power their applications, avoiding unintentional breakages from updates.
- Versioning & Deprecation Insights – ignite ensures seamless transitions to new API versions, reducing rework and support costs.
Impact: Cost savings. Prevents costly downtime and last-minute fixes due to unanticipated API changes.
The Bottom Line: A 50% plus Efficiency Boost
By reducing redundant effort, automating governance, and improving discoverability, the ignite Platform enables developers to spend less time searching, troubleshooting, and complying—and more time building and innovating.
Build an API Catalog in Hours, Not Months
Instead of just an empty environment to play around in, our ignite trial offers a unique opportunity to start delivering tangible API efficiency. After the first hour, you’ll end up with:
A fully working API Consumer Portal, powered by a populated and active API catalog, directly connected to your repos and API gateways
A clear view of any security vulnerabilities, duplicate, or redundant APIs in your landscape, helping you prioritize efficiency and risk reduction benefits
A vision (and means to reach it) for your API Program Maturity journey