The following information is a summary of an article from OpenAPI Initiative (2022).
The latest OpenAPI Specification for Caldera REST API, as well as some other useful tools, are available in this article.
The OpenAPI Specification (OAS) provides a consistent means to carry information through each stage of an API lifecycle. It is a specification language for HTTP APIs that defines structure and syntax in a way that is not wedded to the programming language the API is created in. API specifications are typically written in YAML or JSON, allowing for easy sharing and consumption of the specification.
With OAS, users can quickly discover how an API works. As it is programming-language agnostic users can quickly identify and understand service capabilities. OAS is also useful to configure infrastructure, generate client code, and create test cases for Caldera's API. OAS can therefore support users' endeavors throughout the API lifecycle, and help users communicate with Caldera's tech team.
What is OpenAPI?
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Having the ability to provide a definition of an API to the users is vital. The success of the API project is predicated on doing this repeatedly, succinctly, and deterministically, using a vernacular that is relevant to the API user.
API specification languages provide a standardized means to do this. APIs can be described in agnostic terms, decoupling them from any specific programming language. Consumers of an API specification do not need to deeply understand the application or to learn the different programming languages related to it. They can understand exactly what they need from an API specification, written in a simple and expressive language.
The OpenAPI Specification (OAS) enables this transfer of knowledge from the API provider to the API user. It is an open standard for describing APIs and providing its specifications encoded in a JSON or YAML document. It provides a comprehensive dictionary of terms that reflect commonly understood concepts in the world of APIs, embedding the fundamentals of HTTP and JSON. When teamed up with supporting tools, it can provide a rich experience based on a simple document.
OAS in the API Lifecycle
If an API lifecycle is a transport network then OAS should be considered an arterial road, providing the means to efficiently transfer large amounts of pertinent information quickly and efficiently.
When one considers the API lifecycle it starts to become clear how useful an OpenAPI document is. Consider the simple API lifecycle below. It is based on the idea of API-first design, where the interface is designed without writing a stitch of implementation code. OAS can be used at each stage in this lifecycle:
Conclusions
Deploying an API covers more than just installing our software implementation. API management and the implementation experience all need to come together to provide the API that API users want to provide them with a particular product or service with what they need to understand how it works and what they need to do to build their software.
OAS ties the API lifecycle together by providing a consistent means to carry information through each stage. When this is done right, the OAS provides a valuable mechanism for API providers like Caldera to ensure consistency and quality in their endeavors.