Swagger, now officially known as the OpenAPI Specification (OAS), is a widely-used, open-source framework for designing, building, documenting, and testing RESTful APIs. It provides a standardized way to describe APIs, making it easier for developers, testers, and consumers to understand and interact with them. The core of Swagger is the OpenAPI Specification, a machine-readable format (written in YAML or JSON) that defines an API’s structure, including its endpoints, operations (e.g., GET, POST), parameters, request/response formats, and authentication methods.
Swagger also includes a suite of tools that bring this specification to life:
- Swagger Editor: A web-based tool for writing and designing OpenAPI specifications with real-time validation.
- Swagger UI: A tool that generates interactive, user-friendly API documentation, allowing users to explore endpoints and test them directly in the browser.
- Swagger Codegen: A code generation tool that creates client libraries, server stubs, and documentation in various programming languages based on the specification.