posted 1/10/2011 by Vivek Thakur
The Facebook API: Why it sucks?
Thousands of developers are using the FB API not only for the different kind of applications developed for the Facebook platform, but also for simple things like Facebook Connect. We have been working on the API ourselves, and unfortunately reached the conclusion that its one of those badly written, poorly maintained APIs, with absolutely no thought given to the end developers consuming it. I just cannot imagine how someone can write such bad code when they have millions of $$ to spend and have been poaching top talent from companies like Google.
My major issues with the API:
1. Poor documentation: almost every developer out there working on the FB API will agree with me on this. There is absolutely zero documentation on the API usage. We just have to rely on blog posts/articles written by other developers to get an idea on how to consume the API.
2. Unstable API: almost every two months the API changes, and every code you might have written will not function anymore. This has been one of the constant grudges with the FB API and has still not been resolved effectively.
3. Poor support: If you have any questions regarding the API, the obvious place to put them would be the FB developer forums. But be prepared to wait for months for any credible answers by the FB support team.
I hope FB gives some serious thought and make sure they address these serious issues with their API.
I have also been "playing" sometime with the Facebook API and more or less I share similar experience. However, I think 'behind the scene' there is something else why they for instance make a lot of changes on their API. As you have already listed under #2, I have seen many web sites partially or completely blocked and not working well just because they have some features with functionality for some old outdated facebook-related stuff.
Nice post and thoughts.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
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