Data APIs
tap allows you to focus on user value and removes the toil of consuming open or internal data
Data can often be found in files, whether it's an open dataset you came across, a spreadsheet export from an internal team, or just the easiest way to get data out of a legacy system. tap will turn those files into ready-to-integrate HTTP APIs without you having to scope, implement and operate a dedicated service or ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) pipeline.
tap is a low-code tool that allows you to consume data from CSV and other formats with a managed, documented, secured, monitored and performant API in minutes:
- Upload the file(s).
- Use SQL to transform and enrich your data as needed.
- Configure your desired filters for the API.
- Set the url for your API.
- Share API keys for the API with your consumer(s)/application.
That's it!
How does tap compare to alternative approaches?
In a 3-tier architecture that powers the vast majority of applications today, you would need to:
- Spin up a database.
- Determine and manage a data schema with optimised indexes based on your access needs.
- Extract data from your file(s), transform the data to match your schema, and load it into a database in a reproducible way.
- Create an API and deploy to a server to return data from your database.
- Add authentication to protect your data.
- Operate and pay for your server and database infrastructure.
When choosing a possibly lower effort implementation, such as exposing the files directly from a function in a serveless architecture, you'd face the following limitations and challenges:
- File size limits.
- Maintaining some kind of reproducible ETL pipeline for potential initial data transformation and subsequent updates.
- Subpar performance for even relatively small files.
- Having to implement or pay for authentication to protect your data.
- Enable cost-controls or network policies to protect against denial-of-wallet attacks.
