Fun Links 2014-11-07

Today’s links focus around the process of designing and implementing a web-based API. A couple of tools and a spec for defining, documenting and mocking out an API.

Deflect.io
http://www.deflect.io
Deflect.io is an online tool plus browser plugin which lets your record your ajax calls and then play them back later. It also allows you to define different states which can be used to test your front-end application without the need for the server. Seems promising, I’ve started developing something similar myself before as I can certainly see the benefit to this. I’ve not tried this particular service, just thought it might be of interest.

Apiary
http://apiary.io
Another API tool, Apiary enables you to design and create your web API in a convenient way. It provides you with server mocks so you can test usage of your API before you even code it. Helps you create documentation as well. They are the author of the specification in my next link.

API Blueprint
http://apiblueprint.org
To facilitate tooling around APIs created in Apiary, they created this specification for web APIs which remains human readable but is meant for machine consumption as well. The spec is Markdown based, and there is an ecosystem of tools built around it. We are investigating possible application within Orbis Access.