Custom Built APIs vs Pre-built APIs

Developers should learn and use Custom Built APIs when off-the-shelf solutions do not align with specific business logic, performance requirements, or integration needs, such as in enterprise applications, IoT systems, or proprietary platforms meets developers should use pre-built apis when they need to implement complex features quickly, such as adding stripe for payments or twilio for messaging, to focus on core application logic rather than reinventing the wheel. Here's our take.

Custom Built APIs

Nice Pick

Developers should learn and use Custom Built APIs when off-the-shelf solutions do not align with specific business logic, performance requirements, or integration needs, such as in enterprise applications, IoT systems, or proprietary platforms

Pros

• They are essential for creating scalable, secure, and maintainable software architectures that require custom data handling, authentication, or real-time features, making them a core skill for backend and full-stack development roles
• Related to: rest-api, graphql

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Pre-built APIs

Developers should use pre-built APIs when they need to implement complex features quickly, such as adding Stripe for payments or Twilio for messaging, to focus on core application logic rather than reinventing the wheel

Pros

• They are ideal for startups, MVPs, and projects with tight deadlines, as they reduce development costs, ensure reliability through provider maintenance, and leverage specialized expertise
• Related to: rest-api, graphql

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Custom Built APIs is a concept while Pre-built APIs is a tool. We picked Custom Built APIs based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Custom Built APIs wins

Based on overall popularity. Custom Built APIs is more widely used, but Pre-built APIs excels in its own space.