Medium is a platform built for creators. It provides an elegant space to share ideas, tell stories, and build communities. But the decision to deprecate its API — a core tool for integration and innovation — feels like a step back from its potential as a modern publishing platform. Here’s why Medium should reconsider, revive, and fully support its API.

The API Still Exists (Sort Of)

There is a Medium Developers page that seems to be defunct but is still online. It links to the API documentation that is still available on GitHub and the Medium Engineering blog. There is also a Medium API Terms of service.

The GitHub repo has been archived and there is a warning at the top of the page that says:

Warning The Medium API is no longer supported. We do not recommend using it.

The plot thickens. Why deprecate your API? If you deprecated it, why leave it online at all? Before I tempt fate, if you work for Medium, please, please, please, DO NOT turn it off!!! I like it. I just wish it was supported and didn’t have all these scary warnings.

Even though the Medium API is officially “not supported,” it remains accessible, with a working integration token feature tucked away in the settings menu. The functionality is there — it’s just hidden and unsupported. The archived GitHub documentation warns users not to rely on the API, yet developers like me find it incredibly useful.

This duality is baffling. Why keep the API partially alive but discourage its use? If it’s not truly deprecated, why not embrace it and bring it back into the fold of official support?

APIs Are the Lifeblood of Modern Platforms

An API is more than a technical feature; it’s an invitation for developers to extend and enhance a platform. Medium could benefit immensely by enabling creators and third-party developers to: Automate content publication and distribution.

Integrate Medium with external tools like Social Media Management Software and Marketing and Advertising platforms.

Build new applications and plugins that bring even more users and engagement to Medium. Platforms like Twitter, WordPress, and GitHub thrive because they embrace their APIs, empowering developers to innovate. Medium should aim to be a part of this league.

The Missed Opportunity: Why APIs Matter

The absence of a supported API puts Medium at a disadvantage, especially when competing against platforms that recognize the value of developer ecosystems. Here’s what Medium could achieve with an API revival:

  1. Drive Innovation: Developers create tools that solve real problems for users. Medium doesn’t need to anticipate every feature its users might want — an API enables the community to do that for them.
  2. Increase Stickiness: By integrating with workflows and tools creators already use, Medium becomes a more indispensable part of their lives.
  3. Expand Medium’s Reach: Developers can bring Medium’s publishing capabilities into new contexts and environments, driving traffic and attracting new users.

A Call for Transparency and Collaboration

Medium’s decision to deprecate the API raises questions: Was it due to lack of resources, security concerns, or strategic reasons? Whatever the case, the developer community is ready to support and advocate for the API’s revival. Medium doesn’t need to go it alone.

  • Engage the Community: Medium should open a dialogue with developers, asking what features are most valuable and why.
  • Consider Open Source: If maintaining the API internally is burdensome, open-sourcing parts of it could allow the community to help maintain and improve it through client libraries. All we need is an Open API specification and some guidance on authentication — Integration Tokens still work well.

How to Get Started with the API (While It’s Still Here)

For those who are adventurous, the API is still functional — despite Medium’s discouragement. To use it:

Go to your Medium Settings page

The idea that a platform like Medium doesn’t support its API and sing from the mountaintops about their API boggles my mind!

Now, to integrate with this totally not supported but totally functional API you need to get an integration token from your profile.

Again, oddly, this hasn’t been disabled but only, what is word? Deamplified. You can easily setup a new integration token and start using the API with it by going to the Settings on the Medium menu bar.

Access Integration Tokens

Once you are on the Settings page, look at the very bottom of the page. If you don’t look close you might miss it. There is a hidden-in-plain-sight button that looks like the most mundane text called “Integration tokens”.

Create a Token

Once you click this incognito link it will open a pop up dialog box that shows any existing Tokens and allows you to create a new one.

To create a new one, simply type in the name of the token and click “Get token” button. The name can be used for your future reference so you can revoke the token if you so desire.

Don’t Turn It Off — Turn It Up!

Medium has an opportunity to reignite the API and position itself as a platform that embraces innovation and collaboration. Deprecating the API, or keeping it in this awkward limbo, sends the wrong message to creators and developers alike.

If you work for Medium, please consider this a heartfelt plea: Don’t turn the API off — turn it back on and amplify it. Let’s work together to make Medium not just a publishing platform, but a platform for innovation.