Service Level Agreement

_{Published: 27 January 2024}

Known Uses

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are frequently incorporated into the terms and conditions of services, as denoted in the API Description itself (under “termsOfService” and contact details) within Dutch Government APIs. As legally binding documents, terms and conditions, along with SLAs for public APIs, are drafted, or at least reviewed and approved, by legal experts specializing in the field. However, they often manifest as unstructured and freeform texts, as outlined in the book on page 417.

In Dutch Energy sector the SLA is described in the Service Description Documentation (API user manual that provides service context information, usage examples, details on error handling, etc.) and the following service-level objectives are defined:

Response times
Availability
Uptime and peak load
Security
Confidentiality
Helpdesk availability (service window)

There are no examples where failing to meet an SLA could result in negative financial consequences or punitive penalties (as far as we know).

Examples

Two examples in our domains are:

As correctly stated on api-patterns.org: “…many public cloud providers have explicit SLAs…”, the following can be added:

Discussion Input

In particular, when considering risk and accountability, notable differences exist between SLAs in the public and private sectors. Public sector SLAs typically encompass risk management associated with public interest, political implications, and adherence to public policy, necessitating elevated levels of accountability and transparency. Conversely, within the private sector, SLAs primarily center on managing financial risks, navigating market competition, and meeting the expectations of shareholders or investors.

Known Uses

Examples

Discussion Input

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