---
layout: post
title: I Would Like To See More API Test Drives
date: 2017-06-19T16:00:00.000Z
tags:
  - Vitualization
  - Management
  - Getting Started
  - SDK
  - API Evangelist
  - Cloud
image: >-
  https://s3.amazonaws.com/kinlane-productions2/c627d90c-1615-4750-b45c-9658b45596bc.png
author:
  name: kinlane
---
<p><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-marketplace-test-drive/?v=17.23h"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/kinlane-productions2/c627d90c-1615-4750-b45c-9658b45596bc.png" align="right" width="40%" style="padding: 15px;" /></a></p>[The Azure Marketplace has the ability to test drive anything that is deployed in the Azure Marketplace](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-marketplace-test-drive/?v=17.23h). As someone who has to sign up for an endless number of new accounts to be able to play with APIs and API services, I'm a big fan of the concept of a test drive--not just for web applications, or backend infrastructure, but specifically for individual APIs and microservices.

From the Azure site:  <em>Test Drives are ready to go environments that allow you to experience a product for free without needing an Azure subscription. An additional benefit with a Test Drive is that it is pre-provisioned - you don’t have to download, set up or configure the product and can instead spend your time on evaluating the user experience, key features, and benefits of the product.</em>

I like it. I want more of these. I want to be able to test drive, then deploy any API I want. I don't want to sign up for an account, enter my credit card details, talk to sales, or signup for 30 day trial--I want to test drive. I want it to have data in it, and be pre-configured for a variety of use cases. Helping me understand what is possible.

I want all the friction between me finding an API (discovery via marketplace) understanding what an API does, test driving, then deployment of the API in any cloud I want. I think we are still a little bit off from this being as frictionless as I envision in my head, but I hope with enough nudging we will get there very soon.