---
published: true
layout: post
title: Siemens Has an API Sandpit
tags:
  - Sandboxes
  - Sandpits
  - Mocking
  - Playgrounds
image: >-
  https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/algorotoscope-master/america-immigration_dumping-ground-beach-water-spain.jpg
---
Words are everything. Most of the words we use in the API space are crafted and given to use by companies looking to sell us something. API Evangelist has made a career out of playing with and shifting the words we use to describe our API operations, and is always up for celebrating the usage of new phrases that adequately describe our space. One of the new variations we came across while profiling the space was using [API Sandpit instead of API Sandbox by Siemens](https://xcelerator.siemens.com/global/en/products/buildings/building-x/solutions/apis.html). It is a slight change, but here is why we think it is interesting.

- **Playful** - It is more playful than sandbox which sounds more structured than playful.
- **Industrial** - A sandpit is something you find on a construction site and not a playground.
- **Grownup** - A sandbox is for kids, a sandpit could be grownups and big person toys.
- **Outside** - A sandpit feels like it is a place outside of the usual corporate landscape.
- **Different** - Any shift in the words we use provide a new opportunity for thinking differently.

We are requesting access to the Siemens API Sandpit to see what you can do there. The Siemens Apis definitely feel like grown up toys and the sandpit sounds like where we go to ride our motorcycles and play with our drones. This leaves us thinking about what people think about current API sandboxes, and what are the thoughts that emerge when you see the phrase used and sign-up for access. We know that a playful approach to APIs turns some people off, which is by design, so we are always interested in how people are interpreting the words they read on our API portals.

<center><a href="https://xcelerator.siemens.com/global/en/products/buildings/building-x/solutions/apis.html"><img src="https://kinlane-productions2.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/siemens-api-sandpit.png" style="width: 100%; margin: 15px;"></a></center>

P.S. After further exploration it appears to be a language translation issue, as they use API Sandbox in most place, but due to a lack of governance apply API Sandpit in some places. Regardless, it is still fun.