14 DAY TRIAL // Yahoo has finally managed to release the Yahoo Messenger API/SDK it’s been telling everyone about. Initially slated to be launched at the end of last month, last minute delays meant that developers only now get access to it. And even this comes with a caveat, it’s not available worldwide only for Asian developers so far.
“We tried to make our SDK as simple to use as possible. We’ve exposed a new REST API for the Yahoo! Messenger platform — the same API that we use with our own products. So we know that it’s rock solid,” Dudley Wong, Yahoo Messenger Product Manager, explained.
“In fact, all you need is a little knowledge of HTTP and JSON and you’ll be up and running in no time, no matter what programming environment you’re using. The SDK contains all the key Yahoo! Messenger features that you’ve come to expect, including real-time presence, contact-list management, instant messaging, file transfers, and user-image management,” he added.
The Yahoo Messenger SKD provides more than just simple chat functionality, third-party apps can access and manage the contacts list and generally get a rather wide and unrestricted access to features.
With the API hooks included, developers should be able to build full-fledged Yahoo Messenger clients if they want to. A much more interesting use would be in adding new functionality to existing apps. This is what Yahoo hopes developers will do and the reason why it launched the SDK in the first place.
The Yahoo Messenger IM SDK page is now live so you can register your application and get access to thorough documentation on what’s possible with the new tools. Yahoo is limiting access to some parts of Asia, including India, for now. This is likely because the company wants to scale progressively so it’s starting off with a smaller potential audience.
The region was chosen, Yahoo says, because of the general interest towards the platform in Asia. Yahoo and its instant messenger are very popular in some countries in the region and they’re dominance makes them a favorite target for developers wanting to cater to their local audience.