API Versioning: Your Infrastructure Has an Expiry Date

Vendor APIs change with little notice, and undocumented breaks cost real money when orders fail mid-session.

Version monitoring and staged rollouts keep integrations alive and give teams breathing room to adapt before a deadline hits.

Why it matters

An unannounced API change can halt trading, trigger compliance issues, or produce inconsistent data. Treat external APIs as volatile dependencies, not stable infrastructure.

Common mistakes

• Hardcoding endpoints without tracking versions.
• Skipping integration tests when upgrading.
• Ignoring deprecation notices until production breaks.

Implementation steps

Inventory dependencies

Catalog all vendor APIs and their version policies.

Automate monitoring

Alert when vendors announce changes or endpoints behave oddly.

Stage rollouts

Test new versions in sandbox environments before production.

LiquidityAI tie-in

• Dependency dashboards track API versions and sunset dates.
• Integration tests run against vendor sandboxes automatically.
• Alerts warn when calls deviate from expected schemas.

Case sketch (composite)

A broker dropped TLS 1.1 support overnight, breaking connections. With LiquidityAI monitoring, the update was caught in staging weeks ahead, allowing a seamless upgrade without downtime.

Takeaways

• External APIs require version discipline.
• Automation catches silent changes early.
• Staged rollouts prevent production surprises.

LiquidityAI provides tools and education for systematic trading. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Trading involves risk, including possible loss of principal.