APIs.JSONBootstrapping The Web of APIs

Steven Willmott 3scale Inc

@3scale - http://www.3scale.net

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/

On Demand API Infrastructure: http://3scale.net http://www.apitools.net/

@3scaleme: @njyx on twitter

600 CustomersBillions API Calls / Month

APIs.JSON

• Collaborative effort between (initially):

• Now has plenty of other contributors (see the site: http://www.apisjson.org and mailing list: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/apisjson ).

To the content…

The Internet / Web are and were made of “very little”

• TCP/IP• BGP • HTTP• HTML• DNS

• Directories• Search• Certificates• …

“Shared Standards & Bootstrapping”

The History of the Web is:

What About The Web of APIs?

So:

Definition: Global, discoverable, reusable network of API Services accessible via the public

Internet

(We might Stop and Ask)

• What about private networks? • Is the Web of APIs not the Web itself?• Do the APIs have to be “open”?• …

Today we have…

• Existing Web stack• Wide range of protocols• Description formats like Swagger,

Blueprint, RAML, WADL, WSDL• But we lack:

The Ability to Bootstrap

The Web Relied On

• Directories• MetaData• Links• Search• Filtering • Derived Authority

Need the same for APIs

APIs.JSON

How are APIs Changing Application Development?

Idea:

APIs.JSON: Metadata format for API Description and Definition

Single Location so it can be foundPointers to other descriptions an location

Layers on top of DNS

Format is not that importantConsensus / Adoption / Tools are

Benefits Multiply at Scale

You can use it to…

• Flag where your APIs are • Link to definitions• Configure those APIs and related services• Track and Signal Change• …

http://www.apisjson.orghttp://www.apis.io

• 900+ APIs listed on APIs.IO• Search Engine is open source (at least one fork)• Others are building their own• Open forum for discussion

Governance

• APIS.json has grown & people are investing real energy

• Time to “grow up” a little• Objectives: – Keep moving fast – Make sure voices are heard– Involve those who are most invested– Baby steps

Proposal

• Lightweight group– Github repo for the specification– Anyone can issue a pull request– Everything creative commons and open source– Regular major version– Steering team to manage major version releases– Individuals not companies

• Discussion:– No IP laden submissions– Civil conversation – Driven by working implementation

Short term

• Short term:– Add people to the steering group– Encourage feedback

• Mid term:– Community decisions on steering group

• Long term: – If it takes off and generates value …– Into a formal body?

Take Away’s

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The Web of APIs is the Future of the Web

But we need to bootstrap it…

=>Automated Descriptions and Metadata are critical to that endeavor

Keep Building!

steve@3scale.net@njyx, @3scale

We make awesome API management tools:http://www.3scale.net/