How to Build a Developer Portal (Guide)

Are you tired of frustrated developers struggling to understand your APIs? Do you wish there was a single, centralized hub where developers could easily discover, learn, and integrate your APIs into their applications? If so, it’s time to build a developer portal.

A well-crafted developer portal acts as a bridge between your company and the developer community – giving developers the tools and instructions to understand your APIs, experiment with them, and ultimately create innovative applications that benefit everyone on board. Let’s walk through the blueprint of creating a rich developer portal that will impress (and empower) your developer community from the start.

Key Takeaways

• A developer portal is a centralized hub where developers can discover, learn, and integrate APIs.
• Creating a custom developer portal offers unparalleled control, allows for direct user feedback, and empowers non-technical teams to manage the platform.
• Your portal should provide clear API documentation, code samples, support channels, and a user-friendly interface to maximize developer success.

What is a Developer Portal?

A developer portal is more than just documentation; it’s a carefully crafted digital experience that empowers developers to be successful with their APIs. It’s your opportunity to become a trusted partner to your developer community. By providing a comprehensive resource, you’ll accelerate adoption, improve developer satisfaction, and ultimately drive business growth.

What Should Go Into a Developer Portal

A developer portal is your digital storefront for APIs. It should be a self-service platform where developers can easily find the information they need to understand, integrate, and utilize your APIs. Make sure your portal includes the following:

Code samples

Code samples are the bread and butter of a developer portal – offering concrete examples of how to interact with your APIs, saving developers countless hours of trial and error. Code samples can:

• Accelerate development: Developers can quickly integrate your APIs by adapting existing code.
• Reduce errors: Well-crafted code samples minimize the chance of mistakes.
• Improve developer experience: By offering practical examples, you enhance the overall developer experience.

Information about who owns services

Service ownership transparency is essential (especially when collaborating). helps developers understand who to contact for assistance or feedback. By putting ownership information in an accessible place, you:

• Streamline support: Developers know exactly who to reach out to for help.
• Facilitate collaboration: Developers can easily connect with the right people for feature requests or bug reports.
• Prioritize accountability: Defines ownership and accountability for each API.

Information about onboarding

Onboarding is the process of guiding new developers through the initial steps of using your API.  So, your portal should provide clear guidance for new users, including tutorials, quick-start guides, and best practices. Include:

• Improve developer satisfaction: A smooth onboarding experience creates a positive first impression.
• Increase API adoption: Well-onboarded developers are more likely to become active users.
• Reduce support costs: Clear onboarding materials can answer many common questions.
• Build trust: Demonstrating a commitment to developer success fosters trust and loyalty.

Information about SDKs

With SDKs, developers don’t have to start from scratch, piecing together every element in the API process. A well-crafted SDK can be the difference between a developer spending hours wrestling with API intricacies or effortlessly integrating your service into their project. It’s an investment in developer happiness and productivity, which ultimately translates to increased API adoption and success.

Ways to request help

When developers embark on their API journey, there will inevitably be bumps in the road. By offering clear and accessible ways to seek assistance, you’re providing a lifeline. There should be clear signposts indicating where to find information, ask questions, or report issues. Whether it’s through a dedicated support forum, email, or live chat, ensuring multiple avenues for help demonstrates your commitment to developer satisfaction.

Ways to interact with the community

By providing forums, blogs, or social media integrations, you create a space for developers to connect, learn from each other, and feel like they’re part of something bigger. A strong community can become your most effective marketing tool, as satisfied developers often recommend your APIs to their peers.

Information about new features

A dedicated section for new features acts as a digital bulletin board, informing developers about the latest enhancements. By highlighting new capabilities, you demonstrate your commitment to continuous improvement, encourage experimentation, and inspire developers to build innovative applications. It’s like offering a sneak peek into the future of your API platform, keeping developers eager to explore what’s next.

Information about SLAs or SLOs

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) or Service Level Objectives (SLOs) are the promises you make to your developers about the performance and reliability of your APIs. By openly communicating your SLAs or SLOs, you’re building trust and transparency. When developers know what to expect, they can plan their applications accordingly, reducing uncertainty and frustration.

Information about service maturity

Not all APIs are created equal. Some are battle-tested and rock-solid, while others are still in development. By providing information about service maturity, you’re giving developers the context they need to make informed decisions. It can guide developers towards more mature APIs, reducing support burdens and improving overall system stability down the road.

How to Create a Developer Portal With Knack

Coding a developer portal from scratch can be a real uphill battle. But what if you could create a stunning, user-friendly portal without writing a single line of code? With Knack, you can!

Using No Code to Create Custom Software

Remember when building any software meant hiring a team of developers and CTOs and emptying your bank account? No-code throws that old model out the window. With Knack, you can not only build a beautiful and informative hub for your APIs, but you can also use its drag-and-drop interface to create custom workflows to streamline your internal processes (specific to your industry). Need a streamlined approval process for marketing assets? Done. Want to automate invoicing for your freelance gigs? Also done.

How to Create Your Application With Knack (No-Code)

Curious about the application creation process? Here’s where we outline the essential steps to get you started. Remember, this is just a high-level view of what’s possible – we’ll explore the full potential of Knack in future sections.

1. Create Your Application

Sign up for a Knack account: This is the platform we’ll use to build the developer portal.

Create a new application: Think of this as a digital canvas where you’ll design and build your portal. Give it a descriptive name that reflects its purpose.

2. Create Tables and Fields for the Needs of Your Developer Portal

Now, let’s build the backbone of your portal: the data structure. We’ll start by creating tables for your APIs and their endpoints. You’ll also have the option to create a table for use cases to showcase how your APIs can be used.

Tables: These are like spreadsheets where you’ll store information.

• API Table: Store details about each API, such as its name, description, and version.
• Endpoint Table: Store information about specific endpoints within each API, including HTTP methods (GET, POST, etc.), parameters, and response formats.
• Use Case Table: Showcase examples of how your APIs can be used in real-world scenarios.

Fields: These are the columns within your tables. For example, in the API table, you might have fields for “API Name,” “Description,” “Version,” and “Owner.”

Key information to include:

• Service maturity: Indicate the level of development and support for the API.
• Ownership: Specify the team or individual responsible for the API.
• Detailed descriptions: Provide clear and concise explanations of what the API does.
• Specific use cases: Include examples of how developers can use the API, including HTTP methods, parameters, and expected responses.

Remember, this data structure is the backbone of your portal, determining what information you can display and how you can organize it. We’ll use this foundation to create both public-facing views for your developers and private views for your administrative team.

3. Start Creating User Permissions

Your developer portal might have different types of users, like developers, internal teams, or even public users. Knack’s user permissions feature allows you to tailor access to specific parts of your portal. For instance, you might want developers to see everything, while internal teams only need to view API usage statistics:

• Identify user roles: Determine different types of users who will access your portal, such as developers, internal teams, and public users.
• Define permissions: Decide what parts of the portal each user role should be able to see and edit. For example, developers might have full access, while internal teams might only be able to view API usage statistics.
• Use Knack’s user permissions features: Configure rules to control access to specific tables, fields, and views based on user roles.

4. Create Public and Private Views

Your public views will be the face of your developer portal, showcasing your APIs in an organized and attractive way. Organize your API information in a way that makes sense to your users, whether it’s by API category, use case, or endpoint:

Public views: These are the pages that developers will see when they visit your portal.

• Organize API information: Present your APIs in a clear and intuitive way, such as by category, use case, or endpoint.
• Provide documentation: Include detailed documentation for each API, including code examples and tutorials.

Private views: These are for administrative use only.

• Manage API information: Allow administrators to add, edit, and delete APIs and endpoints.
• Manage user permissions: Provide a way to assign and revoke permissions for different user roles.
• Monitor API usage: Track metrics like API calls, error rates, and developer activity.

For the backend management, create private views that are accessible only to admins. These views will allow you to efficiently manage API information and user permissions and make updates without cluttering the public-facing part of your portal. 

5. Launch Your Developer Portal

It’s time to launch your developer portal and invite developers to explore! Don’t forget to 

• Make it accessible: Ensure your portal’s URL is easily discoverable by developers.
• Provide documentation: Include comprehensive documentation for each API, covering usage, parameters, and error handling.
• Offer support: Provide channels for developers to ask questions and get assistance.
• Gather feedback: Use surveys or a feedback form to collect input from developers and improve your portal over time.

Start Building with AI

Leveraging AI to build your developer portal can dramatically elevate the experience for both internal teams and developers. With Knack’s AI Builder, you can seamlessly integrate intelligent automation, data-driven insights, and custom workflows—without needing any coding skills. Here’s how to start using AI to supercharge your developer portal and streamline operations:

Step-by-Step Guide to Building with AI:

1. Access the AI Builder

Begin by logging into your Knack account and navigating to the app where you want to implement AI. From the page editor, select the “Generate with AI” button, allowing you to enhance your developer portal’s functionality with AI-driven suggestions.

2. Describe Your Developer Portal

The AI Builder works best when specific details are given. Describe your developer portal’s main objectives, such as API documentation, onboarding workflows, or support features. Provide key details about your target audience, like developers needing API access or internal teams managing portal content.

3. Define Your Data

Specify the types of data your portal will manage, such as API performance metrics, user feedback, or support tickets. This step helps the AI Builder set up structured data fields, ensuring that information is well-organized and easily accessible.

4. Generate and Review

Once you’ve outlined your portal’s goals and data, the AI Builder will create a functional framework, including tables, fields, and workflows. Review this output and customize it further to ensure it fits your portal’s needs perfectly.

5. Enhance and Iterate

Use the AI Builder’s foundation to continually improve your portal. Add new workflows, automate repetitive tasks like user onboarding or API status notifications, and refine the user experience based on developer feedback.

By leveraging Knack’s AI Builder, you can create a smarter, more efficient developer portal that not only meets your developers’ needs but also evolves alongside your APIs. It’s a powerful way to build an intuitive, AI-powered platform without the need for extensive development resources.

Why Would You Create Your Own Custom Developer Portal

Imagine this: a developer portal that perfectly reflects your brand, anticipates developer needs, and evolves alongside your APIs. Sounds lucrative, right? Well, that’s exactly what you get when you build your own custom portal with Knack. Here’s why it’s the winning move:

• Total Control: Bypass the limitations of pre-built portals. Knack empowers you to create a portal that’s as unique as your APIs. Want to emphasize specific use cases? Showcase advanced features? You’re the architect, and the possibilities are endless.
• Feedback Loop: Building a developer community is a two-way street. Knack allows you to seamlessly integrate feedback forms into your portal. This invaluable information helps you identify areas for improvement and keep your portal relevant for developers.
• Empower Your Team (Even Non-Developers): Say goodbye to relying solely on developers for portal updates. Knack’s user-friendly interface allows anyone with basic computer skills to manage content, add new APIs, and keep your portal fresh.

Get Started with Knack

Whether you’re in finance, healthcare, education, or anything in between, Knack can adapt to your specific needs, empowering anyone with a vision to build custom software solutions. Forget complex coding languages and expensive development teams. Knack’s drag-and-drop interface empowers anyone with a vision to turn it into reality.

Ready to start building your dream developer portal? Sign up for a free Knack account today! It’s quick, easy, and the perfect first step towards a vibrant developer community buzzing around your APIs.