Today, in the software industry, sharing data is very crucial. The best way to connect and share data is through APIs. APIs are supposed to connect the developers from various platforms and share the data through them. However, understanding the API sometimes gets a bit tough for an individual. The way of developing the APIs and using them is different on different platforms. The major problem arises when the APIs are shared with a third developer. It gets tough for them to understand how exactly it will work. APIs are valuable if they can be properly implemented, accessible and for that, it should be properly documented.
Bad documentation just eats up time and the developers have worked hard to standardize the way of writing the document and its vocab. That’s where Swagger comes into the picture.
Swagger defines a set of rules and tools to semantically define APIs. It can be called as a framework for describing your APIs in a standard common language that everyone can understand.
There are many such frameworks around but Swagger comes with many benefits.
- Swagger is understandable by technical as well as non-technical users. Because of its friendly UI, it can be understandable by project managers, BA’s, & even the clients.
- Testing and debugging APIs gets easier.
- Readable by both human and machine, you can easily use it to automate the API process.
APIs that use Swagger are easy to understand, modify, and consume. Everything gets clear and that is the reason why big companies are using it in their processes.
Previously, the API development was a code-first approach which made it very difficult to document it afterwards. With Swagger, you can actually design the way you want it first, then the code which makes it clear in understanding and you can complete it with a clean code.
Over the last year, Swagger had made a lot of progress. It was transferred to the Linux foundation and renamed to “Open API Initiative”.