APIs

API contracts represent a shared machine-readable understanding of the business and technical requirements established between the producer and consumers of programmatic interfaces used across desktop, web, mobile, device, and artificial intelligence applications.

API contracts are defined as machine-readable APIs.json artifacts that can be used as part of source control and CI/CD pipelines used to deliver APIs across a well-known API lifecycle. API contracts do for all of API operations what OpenAPI has done for the surface area of our APIs. API contracts keep us all on the same page regarding what is needed to consistently deliver APIs.

Think of APIs.json as the manifest for each API designed to align product, engineering, and platform teams producing APIs with the consumers who are using an API. An API contract is the source of truth for the business and technology of what it takes to deliver an API from definition to production, providing the record you need to properly govern HTTP APIs across the enterprise.

API contracts are the business contract for the digital age. API contracts are meant to be human-readable and provide all the references humans will need to stay informed and engaged, but also always driving human-readable elements of APIs operations to also be machine-readable, so that we can better automate, govern, and scale the supply chain, factory floor, and distribution channels for the enterprise.