We rebuild Buffer’s API: This is why – and how it will work

We have always believed in building in public at Buffer – and if you have been for a while, you know we Real mean it.

Transparency and community cooperation are the core of how we have been working for more than ten years. That is why I am especially excited to share a look behind the scenes to something that we bring back: our public API!

I am Amanda, the product manager who is in charge of this project, and I wanted to give you a big picture of why we rebuild the API for whom it is and where we are going.

A quick retrospective: the story of buffer API Origin

We first launched Buffer’s public API in 2012 with a small but powerful group of 15 integrations – think of Pocket, IFTTT and other early web favorites. Fun fact: a few now competing social tools have actually started as buffer integrations.

Our API was built alone (the standard at that time) and enabled developers to do things such as planning messages and managing profiles. We held the user’s privacy from the first day of the first place and have built up documents to help people get started. By 2019, more than 47,000 customers used the API.

But by that time the landscape had changed a lot. Following privacy scandals such as Cambridge Analytica, social network platforms, including Meta (Facebook), Pinterest, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter), introduced stricter conditions of service conditions and data privacy requirements. To satisfy, we had to tighten the control over our API use.

Our priorities also shifted internally around this time. We have decided to stop allowing new applications because we knew that we could not offer the DEV experience that we wanted – and our partners earned – without a larger investment.

The comeback story

That larger investment I mentioned? We are now ready. There are a few big reasons why we invest in the Rebuilding Buffer’s API – and they all come back to doing our community.

Here is a deeper look:

We want to build this with you

Transparency and cooperation have always been part of our DNA. Re -building the API gives us the opportunity to create something that is more powerful, more accessible and more useful – with feedback and input from the people who will actually use it.

We want to unlock new possibilities for small companies and Indie -devs

Our mission is about helping small companies and makers to grow sustainably. A modern API removes barriers and opens the door for people to adjust Buffer to their needs – or even to build something completely new. (We like to see it.)

We can’t – and shouldn’t build everything ourselves

Our users have edge cases, workflows and needs that do not always fit neatly in our core roadmap – and that’s okay! A more flexible, developer -friendly API lets others in our community build the tools they need, without waiting for us to do it.

We want a user interface that is powerful and adaptable

While we rebuild, we think ahead of a future where Buffer’s user interface can bend and adjust based on what users actually need – no bloat, no mess. A better API helps to make that possible.

The technology is also important

Our old API showed its age. The rebuilding of it gives us a stronger, safer basis for working and that is scalable, well documented and ready for whatever comes (AI tools, automation, you name it).

For whom we build the new API

While we rebuild the API, we think of two main groups of people who will use it – both equally important, and both do really exciting things.

1. Power users personalize buffer

These people adjust Buffer for their own workflows-thinking to social media managers, marketers or just super-organized makers who want things to run their way.

Whether it is automation, non-code tools or custom dashboards, we want them to be able to use the API to save time and become creative, not requires a formal DEV background.

Here is a good example of what that could look like from one of our engineers, Andrew Yates, who also made his own app, Alpineglow, as an side project. (For context, Alpenglow helps to determine the exact time that a sunrise or sunset will be at its most beautiful location.)

With the API he has connected Buffer and Alpenglow to make this workflow:

1. Users can submit sunrise or sunset photo reports in the app.
2. If they give permission, I will send the photo and the caption directly to the concepts of Buffer.

With this relatively simple setup, Andrew had more than 3,000 concepts waiting for him in Buffer for more than two years of content, he predicts.

Unbelievable, right?

2. Developers who build integrations for others

Then there are the people who build third-party integrations who work of Buffer and that entire communities or organizations. These projects usually need more technical depth: authentication, error handling, privacy -compliance, the works.

And while ‘developer’ meant someone who knew his way around a terminal, that definition evolves quickly.

Thanks to AI and low-code tools, the developer community becomes more diverse and that is exactly why we concentrate on making our documents, tooling and onboarding super approachable. (More about this soon!)

View this space for more

By rebuilding the API, we not only strengthen our technical basis. We double our dedication to the buffer community. This work is about more than code. The point is to create a more open, flexible platform that developers, small companies and everyday users give the tools they need to build what works for them.

I hope you are as enthusiastic about this as I am! If you have any questions, doll them in the comments below. If you are a developer and want to participate as quickly as possible, you can register here for early access. 👀

We will share more about this soon!