Want to know about API performance? API.expert is on the case. We look at over 100 fintech APIs and pull all the metrics together to give you a general feeling for the service quality for an organization’s APIs in a particular category with our patented CASC score.
Something of interest
API sandboxes are rarely perceived as being at the glamor end of the API ecosystem. And yet, they are vitally important in building the Open Banking world we all want to see flourish.
An API sandbox should accurately reflect the behavior of the production. And it should also be available. That’s why it is so disappointing to see three APIs languishing in the Red Zone at the bottom of the Open Banking – UK – API Sandbox.
There is really is no excuse. It is not as though three banks don’t have CASC scores over 9.00 (and seven in the Green Zone). And these banks are all doing exactly the same thing.
There is also no excuse not to be actively monitoring your APIs so that you know exactly how your APIs are performing and how they compare to those of your competitors. This is Open Banking. You can monitor their APIs too!
The performance of the Nationwide API sandbox has dropped off the cliff in 2021. This is particularly true of the OAuth Access Token: client_credentials, which had a major outage during the period under consideration. But the three other endpoints have been struggling too. They all have very good pass rates, but are extremely slow and have a very high number of outliers.
The OAuth Access Token: client_credentials endpoint was failing on 18 and 19 January, whereas later in the week, a very large number of outliers are seen.
We see an unusual quantitized effect. This kind of phenomenon is usually associated with DNS Lookup Time, but here is it is owing to TCP Connect, which for many calls is either very close to 30 seconds or 60 seconds.
Clearly, there is a serious network configuration here that Nationwide needs to address as a matter of urgency.
The calls do pass, but there are passing after an unacceptably long time. It is through active monitoring that you can identify and deal with these kinds of significant service-affecting issue as soon as they arise.
This API really is need of some major TLC!
Fintech API Ratings: Overall Performance
Week Ending 25 January 2021
Category |
Organization |
CASC score
|
Cryptocurrency Exchanges
|
RadarRelay |
9.33 |
Fintech |
Square (API Sandbox) |
9.28 |
Open Banking: PSD2
|
Railsbank |
9.53 |
Open Banking UK: API Sandbox
|
Allied Irish Bank (GB) (API Sandbox) |
9.37 |
Open Banking UK: Production
|
TSB |
9.26 |
Open Banking UK: Open Data
|
Bank of Ireland |
9.71 |
Fintech API Ratings: Latency
Week Ending 25 January 2021
Category |
Organization |
Median Latency
|
Cryptocurrency Exchanges
|
Kraken |
219 ms |
Fintech |
Stripe |
332 ms |
Open Banking: PSD2
|
Railsbank |
108 ms |
Open Banking UK: API Sandbox
|
Starling Bank (API Sandbox) |
144 ms |
Open Banking UK: Production
|
Tide (Auth) |
156 ms |
Open Banking UK: Open Data
|
HSBC |
87 ms |
Fintech API Ratings: Worst Overall Quality
Week Ending 25 January 2021
Category |
Organization |
CASC score
|
Cryptocurrency Exchanges
|
Coinlore |
6.64 |
Fintech |
Open Bank Project (API Sandbox)
|
7.33 |
Open Banking: PSD2
|
Nobody Below 8.00! |
|
Open Banking UK: API Sandbox
|
Nationwide (API Sandbox) |
2.36 |
Open Banking UK: Production
|
Creation Card (Auth) |
4.37 |
Open Banking UK: Open Data
|
HSBC |
7.65 |
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