This is our last batch of insights for the year! Expect us to return stronger in 2025, with everything you need for a much better understanding of the industry and its needs.
This blog post is the second installment of the free insights we bring to the world through the State of the Developer Nation report series, currently on our 27th edition. The series delivers six reports that look into technology trends and share data and key insights on what matters to software developers. You can find links to all of these at the end of this blog post.
If you are interested in programming language communities and AI chatbots, make sure to check out part 1: “27.4M developers use JavaScript & AI chatbots are used by 45% of developers for problem-solving” which also includes more information about our Developer Nation surveys and insights on the 2 topics.
For now, we will focus on two trending topics: Network APIs and 5G and how developers build AI applications.
Developer Research Report: Network APIs: The new oil in the 5G economy
We dug into how developers around the world are adopting network APIs, and the results are pretty interesting!
Network APIs are essential for enabling communication, data transfer, and seamless connectivity across a wide range of applications.
So, in what development projects are developers using them the most? Leading the charge is Industrial IoT, with 14% of developers integrating network APIs to enable real-time communication and data exchange across connected systems. Following closely are consumer electronics devices at 13% and apps/extensions for third-party ecosystems at 12%, reflecting the need for seamless integration in smart devices and platforms.
Industrial IoT leads network API adoption, proving their vital role in powering connected and intelligent systems.
What does this mean? Developers are prioritising network APIs for projects where real-time data flow, device communication, and smart integration are critical. For industries like IoT, consumer tech, and AI, these APIs are becoming essential building blocks for innovation and scalability.
Want to know more about the profile of developers using network APIs and which are the most common types of APIs? We break it all down in the full report.
Developer Research Report: How developers build AI-enabled applications
AI is everywhere these days, and developers are paving the way in bringing smarter applications to life. Our latest research reveals how developers are integrating AI functionality into their apps and how different factors like professional status and company size play a major role in adoption rates.
According to our data, open-source AI models dominate the landscape, with 66% of developers choosing them to add AI functionality to their applications. This preference is consistent across professionals (67%) and amateurs (65%), underlining the universal appeal of open models for innovation and rapid implementation.
On the other hand, proprietary or closed-source models see a significant gap: while 43% of professionals integrate them, only 30% of amateurs do the same. This suggests professionals are more likely to leverage closed models for advanced or enterprise-level applications requiring reliability and support.
Open-source AI models dominate adoption, but proprietary models find favor with professional developers for specialised use cases.
Interested in seeing AI functionality adoption rates and the types of AI models used, broken down by company size? Dive into the full report for all the insights.
Enjoy the full report series.
As I mentioned in the introduction, the State of Developer Nation series shares six reports. The topics covered?
All reports are offered freely to our community and anyone interested in the technology space. Access everything with a single sign-in in our SlashData Research Space.
Do you need to look deeper into technology topics? Explore our tailored solutions. Get in touch with us.
About the authors
Stathis Georgakopoulos, Product Marketing Manager
Always keen to see what’s next in the industry, Stathis is the Product Marketing Manager for SlashData, setting the table and running the marketing activities. He's our go-to guy for all things marketing and does not hide his love for content marketing and creating helpful content.
Bleona Bicaj, Senior Market Research Analyst
Bleona is a behavioral specialist, enthusiastic about data and behavioral science. She holds a Master's degree from Leiden University in Economic and Consumer Psychology. She has more than 6 years of professional experience as an analyst in the data analysis and market research industry.