# API Architect

Canonical page: https://apiopscycles.com/roles/api-architect

Language: en

Entity ID: api-architect

Owns API architecture, design principles, and interface contract quality.

## Decisions

- Compare candidate styles such as API, event, messaging, file, stream, ETL/ELT, data product, direct database, managed connector, point-to-point, custom, shared platform, or hybrid.
- Evaluate candidates using timing, coupling, data ownership, consistency, reliability, delivery guarantees, replay, latency, volume, security, maintainability, observability, platform fit, cost, governance, vendor dependency, and skills.
- Record the selected style or hybrid, platform decision, rationale, rejected alternatives, open risks, and assumptions.
- Use Business Impact, Location, and Capacity evidence only where they are relevant inputs to the decision.
- Compare viable architecture styles against the gathered requirements and document the selected pattern and rationale.
- Architecture choices should follow from evidence about business impact, locations, trust boundaries, capacity, latency, data ownership, consistency, operability, security, privacy, governance, and cost.

## Outputs

- A justified integration architecture decision
- Selected style or hybrid and platform decision documented
- Rejected alternatives, risks, assumptions, and supporting evidence recorded
- architecture-decision
- documentation
- platform-config
- metrics

## Recommended resources

- [Business Impact Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/business-impact-canvas.md)
- [Location Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/location-canvas.md)
- [Capacity Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/capacity-canvas.md)
- [Integration Architecture Decision Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/integration-architecture-decision-canvas.md)

## Participation by cycle and station

- [API Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle.md) / [API Platform Architecture](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle/stations/api-platform-architecture.md): core
- [Integration Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/integration-productization-cycle.md) / [Integration Architecture & Platform Decisions](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/integration-productization-cycle/stations/api-platform-architecture.md): consulted