This is in response to a request by Kobojunkie. please list any webservices or APIs you know or are working on in this thread.

Ideally please follow the format below or use one of your own choosing (I trust your IQs, just make it logical).

Name: Twilio API
URL: www.twilio.com
Description: Twilio is a web-service API that lets you use your existing web languages and skills to build voice and SMS applications.

I think the largest archive of APIs is at: (and nicely sorted by category) http://www.programmableweb.com/

Also include any nigerian APIs you know ( those won't be on Programmable Web anyway, though I might be wrong).

Any webservice/API to deal with Nigeria airline flight schedules? I need to get daily schedules/pricing of our nigerian airline

@kodewrita:

kodewrita: Also include any nigerian APIs you know ( those won't be on Programmable Web anyway, though I might be wrong).

We aren't there yet, we still need some time to start delivering solid reliable, pluggable APIs. Thankfully RESTs are significantly easier to write. The bigger problem is, organizations that have access to big data aren't evolving at the pace of technologies or better put, those "baba isale" are too comfortable with the status quo.

@ Fayimora:
The first few lines of webservicex reads: "..Emerging web services standards such as SOAP, WSDL and UDDI will enable system-to-system communication that is easier and cheaper than ever before." Clearly, that statement was written in c. 1997/8. And reading that in 2012 should make you "x" the site, delete it from your browser history and pretend you never saw it. That;s before mentioning they have just about 70+ web services

But you might prefer writing wrappers, I'd say it's considerably easier to just JSONify it and work with JS objects, you just might write lesser gems and wrappers.

from what I have seen most languages come with already made xml parsers

A2J: Any webservice/API to deal with Nigeria airline flight schedules? I need to get daily schedules/pricing of our nigerian airline

I believe I already answered your question on the separate thread you created, to quote my response:

"
If your clients can afford it, yes there is: AMADEUS is the global fight distribution network (they serve XML & SOAP) , and believe it or not, it's what almost all booking site are running under the hood (it is actually what 90% of airline in the world use to book their trips and manage reservations) ... and yes, if you're interested, I started the search for you, you can continue investigating further: http://www.programmableweb.com/apitag/?q=amadeus

"

Cheers

@Kobojunkie was instead suggesting we help get information out there about Nigerian, and Nigeria-related services that are online. Many on here work for companies or have worked for Nigerian companies and may have plugged into some available services or even helped architect some new service out there. We should be able to let other programmers know so they can plug in and access any available data to help them achieve their various goals.

delomos: @kodewrita:

We aren't there yet, we still need some time to start delivering solid reliable, pluggable APIs. Thankfully RESTs are significantly easier to write. The bigger problem is, organizations that have access to big data aren't evolving at the pace of technologies or better put, those "baba isale" are too comfortable with the status quo.

We need to get there fast fast. I know some of us here are quite capable of designing, building and maintaining Enterprise-level Services, and Data warehouses. I don wait tay . . . those of you in Nigeria need to get up and start working already.

Kobojunkie:
. . . those of you in Nigeria need to get up and start working already.

The problem, unfortunately, is not that simple -- historically, what [significant] data is being kept. Are folks in power really interested in making the investment? How reliable can it be (stand alone)?

Those that are showing promise are from the entertainment industry which is IMO, not very interesting -- It's not just about serving data, it's about serving meaningful data.

@Fayimora:

Fayimora: I really don't see your point prof. delomos. I can't remember saying it is the most recent or anything. Just so you know I use it to run trainings and tests, nothing in production. If you have something better then post it.

I'm not Prof. sir, I'm curious, what trainings and tests this are that you have to write your own wrappers and gems? As @lordZOUGA mentioned, most modern languages have XML handlers. Something better?....mmmmm.....urrrrrrrrr.... JSON[P] ? You prefer dealing with objects, that's exactly the problem that JSON solves.

delomos:

The problem, unfortunately, is not that simple -- historically, what [significant] data is being kept. Are folks in power really interested in making the investment? How reliable can it be (stand alone)?

Those that are showing promise are from the entertainment industry which is IMO, not very interesting -- It's not just about serving data, it's about serving meaningful data.

The problem is not as hard as you make it. You do not have to worry about what significant data was or is available. You simply have to build for data that is ready now and will be in the future. Services are built not for historical data alone.

Where are those showing promise? What are their names? Where is what they have, if at all? I mean I have reading of people with promises for the past 5 years, yet there seems still nothing to show . . where is it all?

creating APIs(REST) is not much of a big deal tho... Requires only moderate knowledge of PHP or Rails or whatever framework you choose to develope with. Unless you want to add Oauth... Which only means u will be dealing with encrypted data and better security. Right?. I don't really see what's holding back nigerian web services or websites. Even NL should provide APIs to access this site's contents even if it is Read Only APIs.

@Kobojunkie guess you mean stuffs like the NSE api among other things.

@Kobojunkie & @lordZOUGA & @kodewrita:

This will be a slightly long reply but hang in there.

Technically, creating API is not difficult at all: choose your language, choose your data source, choose distribution method and you're on the road but are you going to be designing API "just cause?" It turns out that's the trap folks in engineering fall into, not seeing the business side of things, and that's where things get really tricky, really, really tricky.

In Western country, developers can afford to develop an App, design an API "just 'cause", well, they can afford the luxury -- when someone has limited access to resources, the argument for them to develop things "just 'cause" becomes quite hard (I made the argument for this somewhere else, and might do on my blog sometime soon). That said, developers need incentives to do very interesting things, usually, this incentives comes from companies that hire them and can give them benefits of doubts and let their creativity roam (and can at least invest in them through trainings).

But I haven't really answered to why company like NSE, CBN, FAA etc. aren't having solid APIs one can pull from, after all there are smart people in this places, well, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is obviously a top notch economist, in her terms as Fin. Min, she barely made dents, thankfully she's not World Bank president, but I digress, point is, change is very hard.

In software systems, it's even harder when you have the complexities of legacy systems that still have to be support. Yes, you can have all these great ideas and forward thought but hey, "our biggest clients love the way it is." Or more commonly, "oga's brother likes it!"

Truth is, people that can make decision in the technology sector of this federation are stuck in the past (not to mention them always talking about things they don't know); they prefer to higher a US-based consulting firm for millions of $$ when that same money could be used to invest in kids scholarship to study Comp. Eng/Sc. IT/Systems, in say MIT, or Harvard or Oxford, ok, I'm slightly biased there. But you get the point: our leaders are f$cking short sighted!

It's not all gloom though, so companies that are showing serious potential are(all not surprisingly from the private sector) in order of potentials:
1. Iroko partners (http://irokopartners.com/): who recently got VC capital for abt $18M this folks sure have it going, they've got a business model on lock down, perhaps they can now emulate US's Netflix & Spotify and make much more cash from APIs than regular subscriptions. Maybe I can apply for CTO here? I do suspect they already have private APIs though considering all the mobile apps they have.

2. Gbedu.fm(http://music.gbedu.fm/): Oo, the guy behind this app as a bit of the problem I described earlier -- not looking at the business side of an application and I remember suggesting a business path when we talked about the app on his blog a while ago -- maybe he'd follow, maybe not, now he is stuck competing with iRoko who, it might make a good business to just hire him and shut down Gbedu.fm considering they are both tackling the same exact problem, the same exact way only iroko has more cash and cash is king.

3. Paga (https://www.mypaga.com/): There are a bunch of payment gateway processors that are trying to break into the market (considering Lagos is now 'cashless' whatever the f#ck that means), this however shows more promise the others.

A summary of points (in case my jokes bore you):
1. Legacy systems (and people) are though to work with.
2. Lack of incentive to "trust" home-brews.
3. There are few in the private sector doing big things.
4. I'm not a fan of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

What in the world is all the talk of language and data source on this thread too?

We are talking of creating a directory of APIS that are available out there. If you want to create one, then go for it. We really do not get into what language or framework you want to develop it on. All we care about is that you have an API or you do not care to add one. sheeesh!!!

Who knows. Does any Nigerian bank have an API(for inter-account funds transfer etc.)?
Just a question.