MuleSoft would lend its support and industry expertise to advancing OAI and will demonstrate how API modelling using RAML creates a common foundation to extend the benefits of an API-led approach to the broadest ecosystem, the company said.
The move also means MuleSoft developers will be able to use OAS and RAML to take full advantage of API-led connectivity.
To this end, MuleSoft will open-source its new API Modeling Framework (AMF), which gives developers a way to programmatically add new features on top of API specifications written in either OAS or RAML.
This is similar to the way the HTML DOM allows programmatic interaction with an HTML document, the company explained.
“The Open API Specification (OAS) has become the de facto standard for describing APIs, while RAML enjoys widespread adoption as a standard for modelling APIs. As the API ecosystem extends to the enterprise, our collaboration with the OAI will enable the community to seamlessly layer these two standards will promote interoperability and foster closer collaboration,” said MuleSoft chief technology officer and creator of the RAML specification, Uri Sarid (pictured).
“We are excited to work together within the OAI community to promote the advantages of API specifications, advance the OAS as the ubiquitous standard for describing any practically-RESTful API and continue to advance RAML as the standard domain-specific language (DSL) for modelling such APIs. Additionally, the API Modeling Framework will finally bring the OAS and RAML communities together, enabling developers to enjoy the best of both worlds."
RAML enables rapid, concise, and iterative API design, while promoting consistency and reuse, and is supported by a wide variety of leading vendors and many open source projects. It is said to have been particularly influential in large-scale digital transformation projects.
SmartBear vice-president of Swagger products and creator of Swagger (which is the basis of the Open API Initiative) Tony Tam said, "We're excited to have MuleSoft join the OAI.”
“MuleSoft has a long history of defining API specifications with RAML. Our collaboration will help drive the use of APIs in the enterprise. By joining the OAI, MuleSoft is promoting interoperability between RAML and the OAS, which will bring tooling compatibility to both communities.”
