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Oct 21
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OpenAPI Welcomes New Member Osaango

By Announcement, Blog

The OpenAPI Initiative, the consortium of forward-looking industry experts focused on creating, evolving, and promoting the OpenAPI Specification (OAS), a vendor-neutral, open description format for RESTful APIs, is announcing today that Osaango has joined as a new member.

Why did Osaango join the OpenAPI Initiative?

Marjukka Niinioja is the founding partner at Osaango, with over 10 years of experience with APIs. She and her team also organize apidays Helsinki and APIOps community. She explains: “We see OpenAPI specification as being both the problem and the solution. For many people, the design of API using the specification is just a technical task with the least effort put into it. For many more, the specification just doesn’t exist on their radar.” 

“Of course, there are also issues like tooling support that stop people from using it. Yet, we feel that the biggest issue is lack of knowledge, especially about the productization of APIs as well as API management. Both are interlinked and both benefit from using the specification,” she adds.

 “Skilled people + Good method = Great APIs”

Osaango has promoted open standards from its beginning. Marjukka Niinioja is the “mother” of APIOps Cycles method.  The method is the only openly licensed, Lean, and business-oriented method for developing APIs, and the full lifecycle. The method both promotes and depends on using API specifications to design, prototype, and document the API as part of the lifecycle. It promotes “APIOps,” the automated and transparent culture of building APIs. At its core APIops is like DevOps. The APIOps Cycles method extends APIOps. It includes also elements from product management, business design, and developer experience.

The method has been adopted in organizations around the world, from Finland to Argentina. As one user from Argentina put it: “We’re starting to build an API product, and discovering APIOps Cycles was fantastic because it helped us translate Lean Startup’s ideas into our world!” 

Together with partners and active community members, Osaango drives the open APIOps community with meetups and other activities to promote best practices. Osaango’s vision is to help make the API economy as known as a business model as the Software-as-a-Service, SaaS. But great APIs and great API Economy doesn’t happen by accident. For Osaango, API stands for “All People are Important,” not only application programming interface. API economy needs skilled people from all parts of the organization to collaborate. They need to understand the business benefits of having APIs. Not just any APIs but good, well-made standardized – truly Open APIs. This in turn requires design and development methods, and standards intended for APIs. This is how great APIs are built! 

Osaango is committed as an OpenAPI Initiative member to help lower the barriers of using the OpenAPI specification. Some of the first tasks for Osaango to take part in has been to:

  • Tackle the usability and accessibility of the OpenAPI documentation created by the initiative
  • Collect questions from the community about the various API specifications to be answered and documented to promote awareness and learning.

Learn more about the openly licensed method for API Development: https://www.apiopscycles.com

OpenAPI Resources

To learn more about how to participate in the evolution of the OpenAPI Specification: https://www.openapis.org/participate/how-to-contribute

About the OpenAPI Initiative

The OpenAPI Initiative (OAI) was created by a consortium of forward-looking industry experts who recognize the immense value of standardizing on how APIs are described. As an open governance structure under the Linux Foundation, the OAI is focused on creating, evolving and promoting a vendor neutral description format. The OpenAPI Specification was originally based on the Swagger Specification, donated by SmartBear Software. To get involved with the OpenAPI Initiative, please visit https://www.openapis.org

About Linux Foundation 

Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation projects like Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js and more are considered critical to the development of the world’s most important infrastructure. Its development methodology leverages established best practices and addresses the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.

Sep 24
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OpenAPI is People!

By Blog

During the 2020 API Specifications Conference, influential members of the OpenAPI community gathered to discuss the people and processes that keep OpenAPI Initiative running smoothly. 

Collaboration between diverse companies is one of the most remarkable aspects of the OpenAPI community. Competitors realize the importance of creating a standardized description for APIs, and band together to accomplish a shared goal. In a recent discussion, influential community members celebrated OpenAPI’s accomplishments and reflected on its journey,

The talk featured: 

Mitchell discussed how implementing OpenAPI descriptions into her work has improved developer experience, helped internal development and allowed non-technical developers to better understand the content. She also provided insight into how developers can contribute to OpenAPI.

Any developer can join the Technical Developer Community, and participate in the community. This is a great place to ask questions, and share knowledge. On the other hand, the Technical Steering Committee (TSC) is composed of elected members that make high-level decisions to ensure OpenAPI operates smoothly. Gardiner and Miller are both part of the TSC, and discussed some of the difficulties associated with adding new features to OpenAPI.

The OpenAPI specification must meet the requirements of developers, but also be accessible to newcomers. Balancing functionality and complexity is a delicate act, and the TSC is often wary of adding unnecessary features. However, they listen to the community, and respond when there is rising interest in a particular subject.

For more information on how to contribute to the OpenAPI Initiative, visit the website!

Sep 22
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From 0 to OpenAPI: How GitHub Described a 10 year old API

By Blog

GitHub recently adjusted their extensive, old API in order to comply with current OpenAPI standards. At the API Specifications Conference we got the opportunity to hear how they accomplished this feat from leaders on the project.

GitHub recently released an OpenAPI description for their REST API. It is now easier than ever to integrate projects with GitHub data using simple, standardized API calls. However, the API team at GitHub faced many challenges in describing their massive API so that it would comply with OpenAPI specifications. At one point, their API had over 37,000 errors and 500 invalid operators!

The enthralling explanation of their unique solutions to these challenges is available here.

A quick description of the OpenAPI Specification:

  • “The OpenAPI Specification (OAS) defines a standard, programming language-agnostic interface description for HTTP APIs, which allows both humans and computers to discover and understand the capabilities of a service without requiring access to source code, additional documentation, or inspection of network traffic.”

GitHub adopted OpenAPI specifications for their API in order to automate SDK’s and documentation. Using OpenAPI descriptions also helps ensure a consistent developer experience for users of the API. Finally, implementation of an OpenAPI description simplifies and standardizes the system, freeing up GitHub’s API team to work on other aspects of the project. 

GitHub Open Source REST API is available at the link below: 

https://github.com/github/rest-api-description

GitHub REST API Documentation: 

https://docs.github.com/en/rest/overview/resources-in-the-rest-api

Sep 01
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Reasons to Register! ASC 2020 Keynote Panel Deep with Real-World API Experience

By Blog

APIs are essential in many scenarios today but are still just interfaces at the end of the day. So what gives an API meaning? How does an API remain usable and useful? Learn how to look past the interface for a deeper perspective on API products at OpenAPI’s ASC 2020.

The API Specifications Conference (ASC) is a place for API practitioners to come together and discuss the evolution of API technology. The ASC includes cutting edge technology keynotes and sessions that chart the future of APIs with in-depth specification and standards discussions. The event is designed to be highly interactive, with plenty of discussion time throughout the sessions.

Keynote Panel: What’s the Specification for API Products?

Moderated by Erik Wilde (Axway), join keynote speakers Mike Amundsen (Amundsen.com, Inc.), Yina Arenas (Microsoft), Adam DuVander (EveryDeveloper), and Gail Frederick (Salesforce) on Thursday, Sept 10 at 9 AM PST as they discuss specification for API products. Learn how knowing why we are building these APIs should help us do a better job of identifying valuable specifications and delivering maximum value to customers.

Register Here

Keynote Moderator + Speakers

Erik Wilde supports companies on their digital journeys by helping them with their strategy and programs. Based on his background in computer science his focus is on technology. With his extensive experience when it comes to API initiatives within companies, however, he also focuses on business and organizational issues. Erik is a frequent speaker at conferences worldwide, publishes regularly in a variety of places, and is active in standardization efforts.

Adam DuVander is a developer communicator and cheerleader. He helps companies reach and engage with developers

through authentic content. Previously he worked for some of the best API and developer companies, including Zapier and SendGrid. Many still find his writing at ProgrammableWeb, where he served as the first editor of the influential journal. He’s a published author and international speaker, but his kids still aren’t impressed.

Yina Arenas leads engineering for Microsoft Graph, the gateway to data and intelligence in Microsoft 365 and one of the highest-profile engineering projects at Microsoft. During her career at Microsoft, she has been building the platform that enables developers to build applications that access data and relationships across Office and all Microsoft cloud services. She is from Bogota, Colombia and joined Microsoft in 2010 after graduating with a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Virginia. She lives in Seattle with her husband and 4 energetic sons and actively participates in activities that grow, retain and empower women in technology. Find her on Twitter: @yina_arenas.

An internationally known author and speaker, Mike Amundsen consults with organizations around the world on network architecture, Web development, and the intersection of technology & society. He works with companies large and small to help them capitalize on the opportunities provided by APIs, Microservices, and Digital Transformation.

Amundsen has authored numerous books and papers. He contributed to the O’Reilly book, “Continuous API Management” (2018). His “RESTful Web Clients”, was published by O’Reilly in February 2017 and he co-authored “Microservice Architecture” (June 2016). His latest book — “Design and Build Great APIs” — for Pragmatic Publishing is scheduled for release in July 2020.

Gail Fredrick is the SVP Engineering, Salesforce Developer Experience at Salesforce.

Roles prior to Salesforce include VP Mobile and Developer Ecosystem at eBay,  engineering director at Intel’s Open Source Technology Center, the heart of Linux at Intel. Nerd-vana. And before that, mobile software architect at Medio Systems in Seattle, WA. Medio was acquired by Nokia/HERE in July 2014. Her treatise on standards-based mobile web development is “Beginning Smartphone Web Development”, published by Apress in December 2009.

Aug 18
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OpenAPI Welcomes New Member APImetrics!

By Announcement, Blog

Welcome!

APImetrics provides an enterprise focused API monitoring solution that interfaces with REST and SOAP API protocols. Monitoring is supported by analytics and customizable downtime alerts and provides data to enterprises to meet service level agreements (SLAs) and customer expectations. 

“The economy has increasingly become a digital economy and the digital economy has been increasingly becoming an API economy over the past decade,” said said Dr. Paul Cray, Head of Machine Learning and Standards at APImetrics. “The COVID-19 crisis has only accelerated that trend. Global quality standards that are meaningful, quantifiable and measurable are essential to maximizing the value that API creators and users provide across many industries. That’s why the OpenAPI Initiative and APImetrics are such a perfect fit, and I am looking forward to working with OAI on these standards.”

APImetrics is particularly interested in working with OAI around standards that can help with the definition and measurement of Service Level Objectives as well as issues around certification, compliance, conformance and continuous testing and monitoring of APIs.

“APImetrics is a welcome addition to the OpenAPI Initiative,” said Marsh Gardiner, Product Manager, Google Cloud, and Technical Steering Committee member, OpenAPI Initiative. “When the industry works together to address common API description challenges, such as describing SLOs and SLAs, everybody wins.” 

OpenAPI Resources

To learn more about how to participate in the evolution of the OpenAPI Specification: https://www.openapis.org/participate/how-to-contribute

Join us for ASC 2020

Register now for the 2020 API Specifications Conference, Sept 9-10

About the OpenAPI Initiative

The OpenAPI Initiative (OAI) was created by a consortium of forward-looking industry experts who recognize the immense value of standardizing on how APIs are described. As an open governance structure under the Linux Foundation, the OAI is focused on creating, evolving and promoting a vendor neutral description format. The OpenAPI Specification was originally based on the Swagger Specification, donated by SmartBear Software. To get involved with the OpenAPI Initiative, please visit https://www.openapis.org

About Linux Foundation 

Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation projects like Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js and more are considered critical to the development of the world’s most important infrastructure. Its development methodology leverages established best practices and addresses the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.

Aug 13
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ASC Speakers Announced!

By Blog

The 2020 speakers have been announced, and their talks cover the spectrum of expert technologists, business professionals, open source contributors, and more! Learn from companies and organizations like GitHub, Google, Microsoft, MuleSoft, OpenTravel Alliance, Postman, SmartBear, TravelPort, Vonage, and others. Some highlights include:

Dealing with legacy systems? Go through “From 0 to OpenAPI: Describing a 10-year old API with OpenAPI @ GitHub” by Marc-André Giroux and Andrew Hoglund, GitHub

Want to learn about timing pandemic-helping techniques? Take in “All the Interoperability, But None of the Contact” by Jeff ErnstFriedman, OpenTravel Alliance

Sneakily fascinated for the inside scoop of how Postman dogfoods their own tech? Attend “How Postman uses Postman to Build APIs” by Joyce Lin, Postman 

Curious about how to implement a unified API design process that goes beyond adopting a single API style or specification? You definitely want to check out “GraphQL, gRPC and REST, Oh My!: A Method for Unified API Design”  by Mike Amundsen, amundsen.com Inc.

Hungering to inject delight into the developer experience? Perhaps “Create Delightful SDKs from OpenAPI” by Lorna Mitchell, Vonage, is your cup of tea.

Increase your skills, meet your peers, get a look into the latest research and latest real-world case studies. ASC 2020 is a virtual conference this year, being held Sept 9-10. 

Check out the full schedule now! https://asc2020.sched.com/

Register today! https://events.linuxfoundation.org/openapi-asc/register/

ASC 2020 - API Specifications Conference - Virtual Experience, September 9 - 10. Hosted by the OpenAPI Initiative
Jul 23
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Postman Joins the OAI to Support the OpenAPI Specification

By Announcement, Blog

This blog post was contributed by Kin Lane, Chief Evangelist, Postman

When Postman launched its API builder last year, we were amazed to see how popular OpenAPI was with our users, when it came to designing and developing APIs. Our usage stats helped us realize just how important the OpenAPI Specification is to how our customers design and build their APIs. Today Postman is joining the OpenAPI Initiative in order to work with the 35 other OAI members to steer the specification forward. Together we will hope to continue to support open source tooling that builds on the specification and to grow a stronger OpenAPI community so as to ensure the future of this important industry standard. 

Historically, Postman collections were how API providers defined their APIs on the platform. With the introduction of the API builder, more API providers began using OpenAPI as the central definition of each API being developed. Over the years, Postman collections have evolved to allow developers to test, mock, document, and automate parts of the API lifecycle. Along with this evolution, each collection can be generated from an OpenAPI, pushing us to deliver a growing number of specific capabilities that help our customers leverage OpenAPI as the API contract for use across their API operations:

  • Import – You can import an OpenAPI document into the Postman and maintain it as the central contract for each individual API, which is used to validate and notify developers when documentation, collections, or tests are out of sync with the OpenAPI contract.
  • Generate – You can generate Postman collections from your OpenAPI definition, establishing derivatives of your API contracts for use in documenting, mocking, and testing your APIs in an ongoing fashion across regions.
  • Validate – Every collection generated from an OpenAPI specification can be validated across the OpenAPI contract, helping keep documentation, mock servers, and testing infrastructure in alignment across operations.
  • GitHub sync – When you are managing your OpenAPI document in Postman using the API Builder, you can sync it to GitHub, allowing it to be used in other systems, allowing changes to occur in Postman or via other tools.

OpenAPI has become part of the API factory floor for Postman customers. Beyond what a spec describes, Postman makes it easier to work with APIs by allowing you to store tokens or keys for multiple profiles or lifecycle stages and to augment with specific values for running tests or for monitoring. The OpenAPI Specification provides a way to define what is possible with HTTP APIs, with Postman collections emerging as a way to define, execute, and automate each stop along that APIs lifecycle. A stronger relationship between OpenAPI and Postman has helped our customers, and we’re thrilled to be joining the conversation about what the OpenAPI roadmap might be, and to help realize the full benefits of using OpenAPI across the API lifecycle.

Jul 20
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Announcing the New OpenAPI Initiative Special Interest Group for Travel

By Announcement, Blog

Join OpenTravel and the OpenAPI Initiative Travel Workgroup on July 22, 2020, as we bring the focus to the European traveller. Click here to get the Zoom invite. To get all the latest updates and announcements, please click here and sign up for regular updates!

The travel industry relies on APIs. Connecting business among diverse industries like travel, tourism and hospitality, and representing an incredible array of companies that need to efficiently communicate and relay electronic information includes airlines, car rental firms, hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, technology companies and many more. 

With this in mind, the OpenAPI Initiative is creating a Travel Special Interest Group (SIG) to support the adoption of APIs and facilitate the digital transformation throughout the travel industry. 

The OpenAPI TravelSIG mission is to “enable and nurture the growth of API adoption, development and developers throughout the travel vertical through promotion of the OpenAPI Initiative.” It will meet as needed to discuss common challenges and solutions with the travel space as well as provide a single, unified voice in coordinating with the OAI’s technical steering committee as well as form on an ad hoc basis by request from the TSC, TOB or the BGB as requested by any of those bodies.

The Travel SIG will designate a point of contact to communicate with the governing board and other bodies within OpenAPI as needed.

Participation in the Travel SIG will be open to any member of the OAI. Participation from non-members – we like to say “soon-to-be members!” –  will be allowed on a case-by-case basis to provide relevant subject matter expertise and help serve as an outreach opportunity to bring on new members and adopters for OpenAPI Initiative.

Please join the Travel SIG! Click here to get the Zoom invite for the next meeting on July 22, 2020, and here and sign up for regular updates!

Jul 17
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ASC 2020 – Keynote Speakers

By Blog

We are thrilled to announce two of our keynote speakers for ASC 2020 coming to your couch virtually, September 9-10.

Keynote Speaker, Lorna Mitchell. Developer Advocate and API Enthusiast, Vonage

Lorna Mitchell, polyglot software developer and developer relations professional, will be joining us to share her abundance of wisdom. Lorna’s depth of API experience and ability to humorously remind us of the best practices that deadlines make us forget, guarantee that this session will be time well spent.

Keynote speaker, Mark Nottingham. Senior Principal Engineer, Fastly.

Mark Nottingham is a name that will be familiar to many who have found themselves in the predicament of having to read an IETF specification to solve an API problem. Whether you need to format an error payload, resolve a URI Template, or have a debate about the relative merits of well-known URLs, Mark is wealth of reasonable opinions backed by years of experience.

Come join us at https://apispecs.io , your APIs will thank you for it.

Jun 23
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OpenAPI Welcomes the OpenTravel Alliance as New Member

By Announcement, Blog


OpenAPI welcomes the OpenTravel Alliance as its newest member!

OpenTravel is a not-for-profit trade association that develops data messaging structures in order to facilitate communication between the many facets of the travel industry. It is the travel industry’s only open-source, interoperability data standard. Using OpenTravel messaging, travelers can search, book, pay and check-in/out in a completely contactless environment.

“We see solid strategic alignment between the mission of OpenTravel Alliance and that of the OpenAPI Initiative,” said Jeff ErnstFriedman, Executive Director at OpenTravel Alliance. “We share a goal of promoting open standards in the API economy and OAI is the nexus for all aspects of generating an API marketplace. We are looking forward to bringing the voice of the travel industry to the 2020 API Specifications Conference being held Sept 9 – 10.”

Tens of thousands of OpenTravel messaging structures are currently in use. The open source standard encompass air, rail, cruise, golf, tour packages, ground transportation, hotel and car rentals. The organization got its start using an XML messaging system, but has since made OpenTravel Messaging available in JSON, WSDL and OpenAPI Spec. 

To help the travel industry adapt to COVID-19, OpenTravel has rolled out a new COVID protocol messaging system. In the upcoming release OpenTravel messaging will include capabilities that allow travel companies to take advantage of the pent-up demand and increase revenue.

“Our technology allows for interoperability between suppliers that will increase revenue opportunities and decrease technology costs,” ErnstFriedman said. “The interoperability component of OpenTravel Messaging will allow for a seamless traveler experience that will reduce physical touchpoints and expedite the movement of travelers throughout their journey.” 

“OpenTravel Alliance is an exciting addition to the OpenAPI Initiative,” said Marsh Gardiner, Product Manager, Google Cloud, and Technical Steering Committee member, OpenAPI Initiative. “Standardizing how APIs are described to streamline development makes good sense for many different industries, and travel in particular can benefit.” 

OpenAPI Resources

To learn more about how to participate in the evolution of the OpenAPI Specification: https://www.openapis.org/participate/how-to-contribute

About the OpenAPI Initiative

The OpenAPI Initiative (OAI) was created by a consortium of forward-looking industry experts who recognize the immense value of standardizing on how APIs are described. As an open governance structure under the Linux Foundation, the OAI is focused on creating, evolving and promoting a vendor neutral description format. The OpenAPI Specification was originally based on the Swagger Specification, donated by SmartBear Software. To get involved with the OpenAPI Initiative, please visit https://www.openapis.org

About Linux Foundation 

Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation projects like Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js and more are considered critical to the development of the world’s most important infrastructure. Its development methodology leverages established best practices and addresses the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.

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