Do you build SDKs for the API too?

We generate TypeScript and Python SDK starters from the OpenAPI spec. These are lightweight wrappers that handle authentication, request formatting, and error parsing. They are not full featured SDKs with retry logic and caching, but they give developers a working client library on day one. Full SDK development with comprehensive test suites is a sprint two add on.

How do you handle API versioning?

URL path versioning with /v1/ prefixes. When you ship breaking changes in the future, the v1 endpoints keep working while v2 introduces the new behavior. We set up the routing infrastructure so adding v2 later requires creating new route handlers without touching v1. Deprecation headers and sunset dates communicate timeline to developers consuming your API.

Build an API Product MVP

Build an API Product MVP
Docs, Billing, Keys. 2 Weeks.

An API product is a developer experience problem disguised as a backend problem. We build the endpoints, yes, but we also build the onboarding that gets developers to their first successful API call in under five minutes. API key management, interactive docs, usage metering, rate limiting, and Stripe billing for pay per use or tiered plans all ship together.

14 day delivery

Interactive docs

Full source code

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What Ships in Your API Product MVP

Production API endpoints, a developer portal, interactive documentation, and billing infrastructure. Your first developer can sign up and integrate on day 15.

RESTful API with versioned endpoints, consistent error responses, and pagination

API key management with creation, rotation, scoping, and revocation in a developer portal

Interactive API documentation with request examples, response schemas, and a try it console

Usage metering that tracks API calls per key with real time dashboards and alerts

Stripe billing with usage based pricing, tiered plans, and overage charges

Rate limiting per key and per IP with configurable thresholds and 429 responses

Webhook delivery system for async event notifications with retry logic and logging

Developer portal with signup, API key management, usage stats, and billing history

PostgreSQL with query optimization, connection pooling, and read replicas ready

Team accounts with multiple API keys, shared billing, and role based access

Usage alerts for approaching rate limits, billing thresholds, and deprecation notices

Admin dashboard for monitoring API health, managing users, and configuring plans

API Product Architecture

The API runs on Hono deployed to Railway with PostgreSQL for persistent data. Every request passes through an authentication middleware that validates the API key, checks rate limits against a Redis counter, and logs the call for usage metering. Responses follow a consistent envelope format with typed error codes. The developer portal is a Next.js app on Vercel that shares the same database. It renders interactive documentation from OpenAPI specs generated directly from the route definitions. Stripe webhooks update subscription status and usage records. A background job aggregates usage data hourly for billing and daily for the analytics dashboard. Webhook delivery uses a queue with exponential backoff retry, and the developer portal shows delivery logs with payload inspection.

Tech Stack

The same infrastructure pattern behind Stripe, Twilio, and other developer first API companies. Scaled down for launch, ready to grow.

Hono

API framework

TypeScript

End to end type safety

PostgreSQL

Primary database

Redis

Rate limiting and caching

Drizzle ORM

Type safe queries

Next.js

Developer portal

Stripe

Usage based billing

OpenAPI

API documentation

Railway

API hosting

Vercel

Portal hosting

14 Day Build Timeline

Day 1 to 2

API Design

Discovery call, endpoint design, database schema, authentication middleware, rate limiting, error handling patterns.

Day 3 to 5

Core Endpoints

Primary API endpoints, request validation, response formatting, pagination, filtering, OpenAPI spec generation.

Day 6 to 8

Developer Portal

Portal UI, API key management, interactive documentation, usage dashboard, account settings.

Day 9 to 10

Billing and Metering

Stripe integration, usage tracking, plan management, overage handling, billing history.

Day 11 to 12

Webhooks and Polish

Webhook delivery system, retry logic, delivery logs, SDK starter code, error handling edge cases.

Day 13 to 14

Launch

Load testing, security audit, production deployment, monitoring, documentation review, founder walkthrough.

API Product MVP, Fixed Price

$6,999

14 day delivery • Developer portal included • 30 day support

50% upfront, 50% on delivery • Complex APIs from $11,999

Start Your API Product MVP

See an AI SaaS MVP We Built

ContentForge: an AI content platform with a public API that developers integrate into their CMS workflows. API key management, usage metering, and Stripe billing shipped in the first sprint.

Read the ContentForge Case Study