# SDK, Platform, and Systems Development - Processes Backlog

## Overview

This backlog contains key processes for Phase 2 implementation in the SDK, Platform, and Systems Development specialization. These processes cover the full lifecycle of building developer tools, SDKs, platforms, and systems software.

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## Category 1: SDK Design and Architecture

### 1. SDK Architecture Design
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Design the overall SDK architecture including core components, service layers, and extension points
- **Key Activities**:
  - Define component hierarchy (Core, Service, Utility, Extension layers)
  - Design authentication integration patterns
  - Plan serialization and transport strategies
  - Establish extension and plugin architecture
- **Outputs**: SDK architecture document, component diagrams, design decisions

### 2. Multi-Language SDK Strategy
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Define strategy for supporting multiple programming languages with consistent features
- **Key Activities**:
  - Evaluate handwritten vs generated SDK tradeoffs
  - Define code generation pipeline from OpenAPI/Protobuf specs
  - Establish language-specific idiom guidelines
  - Plan feature parity across languages
- **Outputs**: Multi-language strategy document, code generation templates, language guidelines

### 3. SDK Code Generation Pipeline
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Build automated pipeline for generating SDK code from API specifications
- **Key Activities**:
  - Configure OpenAPI Generator or custom tooling
  - Create language-specific templates and customizations
  - Implement post-generation processing for idiomatic code
  - Set up CI/CD integration for SDK regeneration
- **Outputs**: Code generation pipeline, templates, automation scripts

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## Category 2: API Design and Documentation

### 4. API Design Specification
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Create comprehensive API design following RESTful, GraphQL, or gRPC best practices
- **Key Activities**:
  - Define resource-oriented API structure
  - Establish URL conventions and naming standards
  - Design request/response schemas
  - Document error handling patterns
- **Outputs**: OpenAPI/GraphQL/Protobuf specifications, API design guidelines

### 5. API Documentation System
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Implement comprehensive API documentation following Diataxis framework
- **Key Activities**:
  - Set up documentation generation from API specs
  - Create getting started guides (5-minute quick start)
  - Develop conceptual and how-to guides
  - Build interactive API reference with examples
- **Outputs**: Developer portal, API reference docs, tutorials, code examples

### 6. API Versioning Strategy
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Define and implement API versioning approach for backward compatibility
- **Key Activities**:
  - Select versioning strategy (URL path, header, query parameter)
  - Define deprecation policies and timelines
  - Create migration guides for version transitions
  - Implement version negotiation in API gateway
- **Outputs**: Versioning policy document, migration templates, gateway configuration

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## Category 3: Developer Experience (DX)

### 7. Developer Experience Optimization
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Optimize time-to-first-success and overall developer satisfaction
- **Key Activities**:
  - Minimize configuration required for initial setup
  - Implement progressive disclosure of advanced features
  - Design intuitive, self-documenting APIs
  - Create rapid prototyping capabilities
- **Outputs**: DX audit report, improvement backlog, onboarding metrics

### 8. SDK Onboarding and Tutorials
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Create comprehensive onboarding experience for new SDK users
- **Key Activities**:
  - Develop step-by-step getting started tutorials
  - Create sandbox/playground environments
  - Build code examples repository with real-world scenarios
  - Design interactive learning experiences
- **Outputs**: Tutorials, sandbox environment, examples repository, learning paths

### 9. Developer Portal Implementation
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Build unified developer portal for API exploration and self-service
- **Key Activities**:
  - Implement service catalog and API discovery
  - Create self-service credential management
  - Build interactive API console for testing
  - Integrate support and feedback mechanisms
- **Outputs**: Developer portal, API console, credential management system

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## Category 4: Platform Infrastructure

### 10. Platform API Gateway Design
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Design and implement API gateway with routing, security, and traffic management
- **Key Activities**:
  - Configure request routing and load balancing
  - Implement rate limiting (token bucket, sliding window)
  - Set up authentication and authorization
  - Design circuit breaker and retry policies
- **Outputs**: API gateway configuration, rate limiting policies, security rules

### 11. Authentication and Authorization Patterns
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Implement secure authentication patterns for SDK and API access
- **Key Activities**:
  - Design API key management system
  - Implement OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect flows
  - Create service account / JWT authentication
  - Build scoped permission models
- **Outputs**: Auth implementation, token management, permission system

### 12. Internal Developer Platform (IDP) Setup
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Build internal platform for developer self-service and golden paths
- **Key Activities**:
  - Implement service catalog with Backstage or similar
  - Create project provisioning workflows
  - Define golden paths for common architectures
  - Build environment management capabilities
- **Outputs**: IDP implementation, service catalog, golden path templates

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## Category 5: Testing and Quality

### 13. SDK Testing Strategy
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Implement comprehensive testing approach for SDK quality assurance
- **Key Activities**:
  - Create unit test suites for all SDK components
  - Implement integration tests for API interactions
  - Design contract tests for API compatibility (Pact)
  - Build end-to-end test scenarios
- **Outputs**: Test suites, contract tests, testing guidelines, coverage reports

### 14. Performance Benchmarking
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Establish performance baselines and continuous benchmarking
- **Key Activities**:
  - Define performance KPIs (latency p50/p95/p99, throughput)
  - Create benchmark test suites
  - Implement continuous performance monitoring
  - Design load testing scenarios
- **Outputs**: Benchmark suite, performance baselines, monitoring dashboards

### 15. Compatibility Testing
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Test SDK compatibility across versions, platforms, and environments
- **Key Activities**:
  - Set up multi-version testing matrix
  - Test cross-platform compatibility
  - Validate dependency compatibility
  - Implement breaking change detection
- **Outputs**: Compatibility matrix, test results, breaking change alerts

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## Category 6: Release Management

### 16. SDK Versioning and Release Management
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Establish semantic versioning and release processes for SDKs
- **Key Activities**:
  - Implement SemVer versioning policy
  - Create automated release pipelines
  - Build changelog generation from commits
  - Design release candidate testing process
- **Outputs**: Versioning policy, release pipeline, changelog automation

### 17. Backward Compatibility Management
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Maintain backward compatibility and manage breaking changes
- **Key Activities**:
  - Define compatibility guarantees
  - Implement deprecation warning system
  - Create migration path documentation
  - Build compatibility verification tests
- **Outputs**: Compatibility policy, deprecation process, migration guides

### 18. Package Distribution
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Publish SDKs to language-specific package repositories
- **Key Activities**:
  - Configure npm, PyPI, Maven, NuGet publishing
  - Implement package signing and verification
  - Set up CDN distribution for browser SDKs
  - Create installation verification tests
- **Outputs**: Published packages, distribution pipeline, verification tests

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## Category 7: Error Handling and Debugging

### 19. Error Handling and Debugging Support
- **Priority**: High
- **Description**: Implement comprehensive error handling with actionable debugging support
- **Key Activities**:
  - Design typed exception hierarchy
  - Create actionable error messages with fix suggestions
  - Implement request/correlation ID tracking
  - Build debugging utilities and verbose modes
- **Outputs**: Error handling framework, debugging tools, error documentation

### 20. Logging and Diagnostics
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Add logging and diagnostic capabilities for troubleshooting
- **Key Activities**:
  - Implement structured logging with correlation IDs
  - Create configurable log levels
  - Build request/response logging options
  - Design diagnostic data collection
- **Outputs**: Logging framework, diagnostic tools, troubleshooting guides

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## Category 8: Telemetry and Analytics

### 21. Telemetry and Analytics Integration
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Implement opt-in telemetry for SDK usage analytics
- **Key Activities**:
  - Design privacy-respecting telemetry collection
  - Implement usage metrics tracking
  - Create error reporting mechanisms
  - Build analytics dashboards
- **Outputs**: Telemetry SDK, privacy policy, analytics dashboards

### 22. Observability Integration
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Enable distributed tracing and observability in SDKs
- **Key Activities**:
  - Implement OpenTelemetry integration
  - Add span propagation across services
  - Create metrics exporters
  - Build health check endpoints
- **Outputs**: Observability integration, tracing support, health checks

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## Category 9: Plugin and Extension Architecture

### 23. Plugin and Extension Architecture
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Design extensibility mechanisms for SDK customization
- **Key Activities**:
  - Create middleware/interceptor hooks
  - Design plugin registration system
  - Implement custom transport support
  - Build extension points for authentication
- **Outputs**: Extension framework, plugin system, customization guides

### 24. Custom Transport and Middleware
- **Priority**: Low
- **Description**: Allow custom HTTP clients and middleware injection
- **Key Activities**:
  - Design transport abstraction layer
  - Create middleware chain implementation
  - Support custom serialization formats
  - Enable request/response interceptors
- **Outputs**: Transport abstraction, middleware system, extension examples

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## Category 10: CLI and Tooling

### 25. CLI Tool Development
- **Priority**: Medium
- **Description**: Build command-line interface for SDK and platform interaction
- **Key Activities**:
  - Design CLI command structure following Unix conventions
  - Implement interactive and scriptable modes
  - Create shell completion and help system
  - Build configuration management
- **Outputs**: CLI tool, shell completions, CLI documentation

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## Process Priority Summary

| Priority | Processes |
|----------|-----------|
| High | SDK Architecture Design, Multi-Language SDK Strategy, API Design Specification, API Documentation System, Developer Experience Optimization, SDK Onboarding and Tutorials, Platform API Gateway Design, Authentication and Authorization Patterns, SDK Testing Strategy, SDK Versioning and Release Management, Backward Compatibility Management, Error Handling and Debugging Support |
| Medium | SDK Code Generation Pipeline, API Versioning Strategy, Developer Portal Implementation, Internal Developer Platform Setup, Performance Benchmarking, Compatibility Testing, Package Distribution, Logging and Diagnostics, Telemetry and Analytics Integration, Observability Integration, Plugin and Extension Architecture, CLI Tool Development |
| Low | Custom Transport and Middleware |

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## Implementation Phases

### Phase 2A (Core SDK)
1. SDK Architecture Design
2. API Design Specification
3. Multi-Language SDK Strategy
4. SDK Testing Strategy
5. Error Handling and Debugging Support

### Phase 2B (Developer Experience)
6. API Documentation System
7. Developer Experience Optimization
8. SDK Onboarding and Tutorials
9. SDK Versioning and Release Management
10. Backward Compatibility Management

### Phase 2C (Platform Infrastructure)
11. Platform API Gateway Design
12. Authentication and Authorization Patterns
13. Developer Portal Implementation
14. Internal Developer Platform Setup

### Phase 2D (Quality and Operations)
15. Performance Benchmarking
16. Compatibility Testing
17. Package Distribution
18. Logging and Diagnostics

### Phase 2E (Advanced Features)
19. SDK Code Generation Pipeline
20. API Versioning Strategy
21. Telemetry and Analytics Integration
22. Observability Integration
23. Plugin and Extension Architecture
24. CLI Tool Development
25. Custom Transport and Middleware

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## References

- OpenAPI Specification: https://spec.openapis.org/oas/latest.html
- Azure SDK Guidelines: https://azure.github.io/azure-sdk/
- Google API Design Guide: https://cloud.google.com/apis/design
- Diataxis Documentation Framework: https://diataxis.fr/
- Semantic Versioning: https://semver.org/
- Pact Contract Testing: https://docs.pact.io/

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## Version History

| Version | Date | Changes |
|---------|------|---------|
| 1.0 | 2025-01 | Initial processes backlog created |
