April 2017 Summaries

APIMatic CLI is a command line tool that serves as a wrapper over the Python SDK of APIMatic, allowing users to generate SDKs or transform API descriptions with ease. It supports various authentication methods and features such as SDK generation, API validation, and API transformation. The tool can be installed using pip or by downloading a small executable file, and its usage is straightforward, requiring only a command to be typed on the CLI. Users can provide an API description in multiple ways, including from APIMatic integration keys, URLs, or uploaded files. The APIMatic CLI allows for customization of commands with various options, making it a convenient tool for developers who prefer using command line interfaces.

APIMatic’s code-gen engine now supports automatically generating test cases for APIs using example objects from RAML and API Blueprint formats. This feature utilizes detailed request and response example objects to generate test cases, making it easier for developers to test their APIs. Both RAML 0.8 and RAML 1.0 support example objects for various resource parameters and responses, allowing developers to specify example values for query parameters, URI parameters, body parameters, form parameters, and expected responses. The "example" property in RAML 0.8 and the "examples" property in RAML 1.0 can be used to specify these example values, with the latter providing more flexibility by allowing multiple examples to be specified. By using APIMatic's code-gen engine, developers can automate the process of generating test cases for their APIs, reducing manual testing efforts.

The benefits of machine-readable description files for APIs include the ability to save time and money by automating the generation of documentation, SDKs, test cases, and other resources, as well as providing a clear picture of the API's design and functionality. This clarity can also lead to improved collaboration among stakeholders, developers, and customers. Additionally, machine-readable descriptions enable open standardization, making it easier for APIs to be searched, discovered, and accessed by users. They also facilitate better management of increasing numbers of APIs, code generation, API documentation, testing, and monitoring. Furthermore, they unlock possibilities for automation, transformation between standard API formats, API search and discovery, API sharing, API aggregation, and more.