Most indie SaaS products are just API orchestration layers
The more products I analyze, the more I notice this pattern:
Modern SaaS isn’t built from scratch.
It’s assembled.
Auth API
Payment API
Email API
Analytics API
AI API
Cloud API
Glue them together properly and you have a product.
The differentiation isn’t infrastructure anymore.
It’s execution + UX + positioning.
But here’s the part that’s underrated:
API choice affects your roadmap more than your code does.
Pick the wrong payment provider → pricing pain.
Pick the wrong auth system → migration nightmare.
Pick the wrong AI API → unpredictable cost spikes.
We talk a lot about product‑market fit.
We talk less about dependency‑market fit.
Curious:
How many third‑party APIs does your current product depend on?
And have you ever had to painfully migrate away from one?
apives.com
Jumping in on this older post — I'm curious how folks here are handling API migration challenges. It can be a real headache to switch APIs, especially if you've built around one. Has anyone found effective ways to minimize integration pain or ensure smoother transitions? Let's get this conversation rolling again!