Enhancing API Quality: A Comprehensive Review of Non-Functional Requirements for Quality-centric Framework Development

• Aumir Shabbir,
• Aziz Deraman,
• Mohamad Nor Bin Hassan,
• Kamal Uddin Sarker,
• Shahid Kamal,

Vol. 20, No. 2, February 28, 2026
10.3837/tiis.2026.02.011, Download Paper (Free):

• APIs
• Factors affecting quality
• NFRs
• Quality issues
• Quality framework

Abstract

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are essential for seamless system integration in software development but meeting both Functional and Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) remains challenging. Standards like ISO/IEC 25010:2023 and OAS often overlook critical quality factors like real-time performance, reliability, scalability, and maintainability. This study addresses a notable gap in existing literature by focusing on NFRs in APIs and developing a quality-centric framework. Existing studies predominantly focus on functional requirements, neglecting critical NFRs essential for APIs’ efficiency. The research highlights the development of a quality-centric framework for improving APIs’ performance and development practices. We employed Systematic Literature Review guidelines and followed strict selection criteria to assess 1,246 articles collected geographically across continents. The absolute review of 112 articles, reduced to 20 relevant articles, reveals a lack of frameworks to address quality challenges related to NFRs in API development. Most of the models focus on functional requirements only and pay insufficient attention to NFRs, posing challenges for the software development industry. The study emphasizes the need for an efficient framework to improve the quality of NFRs in APIs. It highlights the limitations of current studies and standards in addressing run-time NFRs that promote more effective API quality development practices.

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