Patterns / Integration Architecture
API-Led Integration
Layered System, Process, and Experience APIs that turn point-to-point sprawl into reusable capability.
Channels
Experience APIs
Process APIs
System APIs
Systems of Record
Conceptual flow
Problem
Every new consumer triggers a bespoke interface to a system of record, multiplying cost and coupling with each project.
Context
Enterprises with a stable core (ERP, CRM, billing) and a growing number of digital channels that need the same data in different shapes.
Solution
Expose System APIs over each system of record, compose business logic in Process APIs, and shape channel-specific payloads in Experience APIs. Contracts are versioned and owned by the domain, not the project.
Benefits
- Reuse across channels
- Clear ownership boundaries
- Predictable change impact
- Faster onboarding of new consumers
Risks
- Layer proliferation
- Latency added per hop
- Governance overhead if contracts drift
Trade-offs
- Reuse over raw latency
- Upfront design over project speed
When to use
- Multiple consumers of the same core data
- Request/response semantics dominate
- Strong need for contract governance
When not to use
- High-volume telemetry ingestion
- Sub-100ms streaming requirements
- A single consumer with a single system
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