• The API Platform for AI.

      Explore More
      Platform Runtimes
      Kong Gateway
      • Kong Cloud Gateways
      • Kong Ingress Controller
      • Kong Operator
      • Kong Gateway Plugins
      Kong AI Gateway
      Kong Event Gateway
      Kong Mesh
      Platform Core Services
      • Gateway Manager
      • Mesh Manager
      • Service Catalog
      Platform Applications
      • Developer Portal
      • API and AI Analytics
      • API Products
      Development Tools
      Kong Insomnia
      • API Design
      • API Testing and Debugging
      Self-Hosted API Management
      Kong Gateway Enterprise
      Kong Open Source Projects
      • Kong Gateway OSS
      • Kuma
      • Kong Insomnia OSS
      • Kong Community
      Get Started
      • Sign Up for Kong Konnect
      • Documentation
    • Featured
      Open Banking SolutionsMobile Application API DevelopmentBuild a Developer PlatformAPI SecurityAPI GovernanceKafka Event StreamingAI GovernanceAPI Productization
      Industry
      Financial ServicesHealthcareHigher EducationInsuranceManufacturingRetailSoftware & TechnologyTransportation
      Use Case
      API Gateway for IstioBuild on KubernetesDecentralized Load BalancingMonolith to MicroservicesObservabilityPower OpenAI ApplicationsService Mesh ConnectivityZero Trust SecuritySee all Solutions
      Demo

      Learn how to innovate faster while maintaining the highest security standards and customer trust

      Register Now
  • Customers
    • Documentation
      Kong KonnectKong GatewayKong MeshKong AI GatewayKong InsomniaPlugin Hub
      Explore
      BlogLearning CentereBooksReportsDemosCase StudiesVideos
      Events
      API SummitWebinarsUser CallsWorkshopsMeetupsSee All Events
      For Developers
      Get StartedCommunityCertificationTraining
    • Company
      About UsWhy Kong?CareersPress RoomInvestorsContact Us
      Partner
      Kong Partner Program
      Security
      Trust and Compliance
      Support
      Enterprise Support PortalProfessional ServicesDocumentation
      Press Release

      Kong Expands with New Headquarters in Downtown San Francisco

      Read More
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • Get a Demo
  • Start for Free
Resources
  • eBooks
  • Reports
  • Case Studies
  • Demos
  • Videos
  • Value Calculator
  • Home
  • Resources
  • eBooks
  • The Evolution of APIs: From Cloud Age and Beyond
eBook

The Modern Evolution of APIs: From Cloud to Microservices and Beyond

APIs in the Cloud-Native World of Microservices and Kubernetes

Exploring RESTful, gRPC, and GraphQL in the Era of Cloud-Native Development

We live in a digital economy where Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are foundational elements for businesses to operate and grow. APIs interconnect individual systems that contain data about people, businesses, and things, enable transactions, and create new products/services and business models (Gartner). The popularity of APIs has grown significantly in the last decade or so, but the history of APIs stretches back much further. This two-part eBook series provides a brief history of APIs from the early computing era to today.

In Part One of our "The Evolution of APIs" eBook series, we traced the evolution of APIs from early computing up through the early stages of the internet. Here in Part Two, we consider how the shape and development of APIs have changed as we enter the cloud age of the internet. In this eBook, we discuss the most common API types including RESTful APIs, gRPC, and GraphQL.

IN THIS EBOOK, WE COVER

  • Modern APIs of the Cloud Age
  • The Future of APIs: What's Next?
  • How can the development community prepare for writing the next generation of APIs?
Powering the API world

Increase developer productivity, security, and performance at scale with the unified platform for API management, service mesh, and ingress controller.

Sign up for Kong newsletter

Platform
Kong KonnectKong GatewayKong AI GatewayKong InsomniaDeveloper PortalGateway ManagerCloud GatewayGet a Demo
Explore More
Open Banking API SolutionsAPI Governance SolutionsIstio API Gateway IntegrationKubernetes API ManagementAPI Gateway: Build vs BuyKong vs PostmanKong vs MuleSoftKong vs Apigee
Documentation
Kong Konnect DocsKong Gateway DocsKong Mesh DocsKong AI GatewayKong Insomnia DocsKong Plugin Hub
Open Source
Kong GatewayKumaInsomniaKong Community
Company
About KongCustomersCareersPressEventsContactPricing
  • Terms•
  • Privacy•
  • Trust and Compliance
  • © Kong Inc. 2025