ExpressionEngine + Salesforce + Google Analytics + Overbuilding
We knew from the client that in the beginning there would be only a handful of consumers of the API. We needed to password protect the API, but we did not need to support an extensive authentication layer to get this. Additionally, the client, at this early stage, did not need to charge for access to the API so there was no need for an e-commerce layer. The API was never going to be a read / write application. Instead it was merely going to support browsing and searching across the product and certification database.
In order to support the above all we needed to do was create an API endpoint in a normal ExpressionEngine template. To support both browsing and searching, we fed the data through our Super Search ExpressionEngine add-on. And because there were only about 5 consumers of the API in the beginning, we simply password protected the API url behind Basic Access Authentication. Don’t overbuild.
Those last two words. I enjoyed reading this article and it resonated with me because I'm going through a situation right now where this is really relevant. I'm working with a third-party's JSON feed and have been asking myself "What if?" much more than I probably should have.