Glossary
What is OpenAPI?
OpenAPI is an open standard for describing a REST API: which endpoints exist, which parameters they accept and what they return. With an OpenAPI specification, developers and tools can quickly understand and call an API.
OpenAPI explained
An OpenAPI specification is a file in JSON or YAML that fully describes an API: the endpoints, the parameters and their types, the possible responses and the way to authenticate. The standard used to be called Swagger; version 3 is now common.
Because the description is machine-readable, tools can do a lot with it. You can generate documentation automatically, import a specification into Postman for testing, or have client code generated from it. AI tools and automation platforms also use OpenAPI specifications to understand how to call an API.
A specification is only valuable if it matches what the API really does. A specification generated automatically from the API itself is less likely to fall behind than a hand-written document.
Example
The developer of Acme Groothandel's planning system imports the OpenAPI specification into Postman. He immediately sees which endpoints exist, which parameters such as branch and date they accept and which fields the response contains.
OpenAPI in ENABLE
ENABLE generates an OpenAPI specification of all an organisation's published Data API endpoints, with parameters, row limits and the authentication method. You share that specification with the developer or tool that consumes the data.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenAPI and Swagger?
OpenAPI is the current name of the standard formerly called Swagger. Swagger is now mainly the name of a set of tools around that standard, such as Swagger UI.
What do you use an OpenAPI specification for?
To document an API, test it in tools such as Postman, generate client code automatically or help an AI tool understand how the API works. It saves developers a lot of investigation.
Is OpenAPI the same as an open API?
No. OpenAPI is a standard for describing APIs. An open API is one that is publicly accessible; an API with an OpenAPI specification can perfectly well be protected.
Further reading
- PlatformData API: expose your data warehouse via RESTPublish a query as a secure REST endpoint for other systems and apps.Read more
- SolutionAI agents for business: start with secure dataAI agents start with secure, limited data access. This is how ENABLE lays that foundation.Read more
- PlatformBuild internal apps on your business dataDescribe an app in a chat and the AI Builder builds it on your own data (pilot). Plus all your other apps in one hub.Read more
- ResourcesGlossary of data, AI and Power BI termsWhat is a service principal, row-level security, a semantic model, text-to-SQL or RAG? Short, clear definitions of terms around data, Power BI and AI.Read more
Use AI on your own data. Securely, and without the headache.
In an online demo we show how ENABLE makes your data securely available and how you build on it: describing an app in the AI Builder, plain-language questions, dashboards and APIs. And how we set it up and manage it for you.