Metrics for Web API Ecosystem Analysis

Web API Ecosystems (WAE) constitute dynamic networks of actors, tools, and services operating around digital platforms where web APIs are the main assets. However, there is a lack of systematized methodologies and specific metrics to evaluate the health and sustainability of WAE. This work presented the first systematic study to adapt traditional Software Ecosystem (SECO) metrics to WAE. The research identified 76 SECO metrics from existing literature, of which 58 metrics (80.3%) were applicable to web API ecosystems. Additionally, nine new specific metrics for WAE were proposed. The final catalog of 67 metrics was reclassified according to the four socio-technical dimensions of WAE, with a balanced distribution: social dimension (28.36%), infrastructure (23.89%), norms (22.38%) and context (25.37%). Validation was performed through an empirical study using RapidAPI and APILayer as representative cases. The main challenges identified included inconsistency in data availability between platforms and the indirect nature of provided information. The study validated that WAE can be evaluated using a set of metrics adapted from software ecosystems, establishing the foundation for future research in this emerging field.