What Is OpenAPI?

OpenAPI Specification (formerly Swagger Specification) is an API description format for REST APIs. An OpenAPI file allows you to describe your entire API, including:

• Available endpoints
• Methods
• Query Parameters
• Authentication mechanisms
• Entity Relationship

What Is Swagger?

Swagger is a set of open-source tools built around the OpenAPI Specification that can help you design, build, document, and consume REST APIs. The major Swagger tools include:

• Swagger Editor – browser-based editor where you can write OpenAPI specs.
• Swagger UI – renders OpenAPI specs as interactive API documentation.
• Swagger Codegen – generates server stubs and client libraries from an OpenAPI spec.

Why Use OpenAPI?

The ability of APIs to describe their own structure is the root of all awesomeness in OpenAPI. Once written, an OpenAPI specification and Swagger tools can drive your API development further in various ways:

• Contract first approach: use Swagger Codegen to generate a server stub for your API. The only thing left is to implement the server logic – and your API is ready to go live!
• Use Swagger Codegen to generate client libraries for your API in over 40 languages.
• Use Swagger UI to generate interactive API documentation that lets your users try out the API calls directly in the browser.