Frank Kilcommins of SmartBear came by to talk about the OpenAPI Arazzo specification. He shared the history how it came to be and how it is changing the conversation inside and outside the OpenAPI Initiative (OAI). Franks done amazing work to move the API workflows specification over the finish line, but also keep it evolving and moving forward afterwards. The specification has renewed energy with API service providers who are integrating the spec into their API guided walkthroughs, SDK generation, and testing. I am a big fan of Frank’s work, and wish we had 10 more of him working at the OpenAPI, so if you are feeling like you have some spare cycles, I recommend you rolling up your sleeves and getting involved.
I strongly believe in the Arazzo specification. I think it is the specification that will move API operations more towards the business and value generation part of the API economy. The last 25 years has been getting our digital resources developed, now Arazzo will allow those of us who have invested in those resources to organize them into new and interesting applicaitons that will move business conversations forward. The next stage of service and tooling development on top of the specific will define the velocity of the specification, but also enterprises, and whoever creates the editor and interface for Arazzo that speaks to API product managers is going to win the next round of competition across startups.
