Which team is responsible for maintaining APIs running in the production environment?

The Operations Team is responsible for maintaining APIs running in the production environment because their primary role encompasses monitoring, managing, and ensuring the smooth operation of all production systems, including APIs. This includes handling issues like performance monitoring, incident response, and deploying updates or patches to ensure that the APIs function optimally and remain available to users.

In contrast, while the API Designer focuses on the design and specification of APIs and the API Developer is responsible for the actual coding and implementation, neither of these roles is directly responsible for the ongoing operations and maintenance of the APIs once they are deployed in production. The Integration Architect typically lays out the overarching architecture and design patterns for integrations but also does not have direct responsibility for day-to-day maintenance. Hence, the Operations Team plays a critical and dedicated role in API management post-deployment.