# 020: Developer Portals, Dev-Friendly or Dev-Frustrating?
¡Hola, Tech Writing Friends!
Your API is powerful.
Even your docs are pretty decent.
But… where the hell is your developer portal?
If you’re shipping APIs and expecting developers to magically integrate without a centralized place to get credentials, try out endpoints, or even find updated guides…
You’re not ready for dev adoption.
You’re not dev-friendly.
And you’re definitely losing revenue.
What the hell is a Developer Portal Actually?
Let’s be clear: a dev portal isn’t a page of links.
It’s an interactive command center where devs can use your product — not just read about it.
Let me show you what I mean.
Let’s Say You’re Shipping an API for a Payment App
A dev logs in. What should they be able to do?
Instantly generate API keys — no back-and-forth emails.
Use a pre-configured sandbox environment to test endpoints.
View step-by-step Quickstart guides by use case.
Copy-paste curl commands that actually work.
Download your SDKs and see side-by-side code samples.
Check your API status, version history, and changelogs in one place.
THAT’S a developer portal.
Now compare that to: “Here’s our docs! The API key is in Settings somewhere. File a support ticket if you get stuck.” 😬
Dev Portals Are Revenue Infrastructure
Let me be blunt.
If your startup offers APIs and you don’t have a portal, you’re lighting developer acquisition money on fire. 💵 🧯🚒
Here’s what a good portal actually does:
Shortens time-to-value: faster POCs, faster adoption.
Reduces support tickets: devs can find what they need.
Builds trust: your API feels stable, documented, and ready.
Increases conversion: when docs show how easy it is to integrate, not just tell.
Still sending PDF onboarding packets to partners?
C’mon, boo. 🥲
Real Examples Worth Studying
Stripe:
Use-case based flows ("Build a subscription product") + live code explorer.
Clerk:
“Copy-paste this Next.js snippet and go.”
Developer onboarding in 2 minutes.
Supabase:
Autogenerated client libraries + markdown docs that stay in sync.
Plaid:
Environment switching, status pages, and curl playgrounds.
These portals aren’t just shiny.
They work because they were built from the mindset of “how can we make devs succeed faster?”
My Challenge to You…
Audit your current technical content experience like a pissed-off dev on a deadline.
Can they:
Get credentials immediately?
See working code for their language?
Run a test call without setting up Postman manually?
Understand what’s changed in the last release?
If not… that’s where your dev portal starts.
Let’s build dev portals that convert, not confuse.
Let’s make it dev-friendly, not dev-frustrating. 🖤
Happy documenting,
Quetzalli
