API/SaaS Wrapper - Monday

First off a programming note. This post was late today because I ended up having to throw out several ideas for projects as they had already been done. The first ideas was to build an open source video trans-coding service and potentially build it directly in to SinMagick. Unfortunately it looks like Panda Stream has been offering an open source video trans-coding service for a few years now. The next idea was to solve the problem of the designated driver taking home a car load of inebriated friends. In which order should you drop them off to make the trip most efficient? Unfortunately this idea has already been worked on, you can find an iPhone app by Route4Me that does exactly what I described. The next ideas was to provide a way to use your iPhone's camera as a raw video device on desktop computers. But after a little bit of searching I stumbled on PocketCam. Frustrating!

The next idea was one that I've been kicking around for a while. Basically if you have a service like SinMagick for example. And you'd like to implement a freemium model you need to build out all sorts of different features to support it. Such as authentication, signup, throttling, logging, billing and a way to block unauthorized access. Building it directly into pre-existing code can be even more painful. There is already a company, Mashery, in this space however they target the premium space exclusively and don't offer an open source or shrink wrapped product. That's the market I hope to capture this week.

Project Summary: API/SaaS Wrapper for Web Services

Planned Features:
  • Authentication via OAuth
  • Developer Registration
  • Rate Limits
  • Reporting/Logging
  • Output Conversion JSON->XML
  • Multiple APIs
Monetization - Considering the following
  • Premium Feature Modules for things like Billing Support
  • Shrinkwrapped Product
  • OpenSource with EC2 private instances