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Developer Studio

🛠️ Developer Studio in AllThingsAPI (ATA)

Developer Studio in AllThingsAPI (ATA) is the platform’s powerful environment for designing, defining, and managing APIs. With multi-level access flow, you can manage tech stacks, deployment options, and the entire lifecycle of your API applications. Developer Studio allows for seamless integration with external sources like Git and API Gateways, providing a clear overview of API ownership, dependencies, and consumer-producer relationships between teams and projects.

This feature allows teams to work collaboratively and efficiently, ensuring that APIs are well-documented, deployable, and governed by best practices.

🏗️ Overview of Developer Studio

Developer Studio is a comprehensive suite that helps you build and manage API applications with full control over your tech stack, deployment configurations, and access approvals. You can create API applications, define business domains, assign tech stacks (frontend/backend), select deployment servers, and set access control policies for your applications.

Key features of Developer Studio include:

  • Application Creation: Define applications, business domains, and tech stack requirements.
  • Access Control: Set approval workflows for application access, with configurable options for user approval.
  • API Source Integration: Link your application to Git repositories or API Gateways.
  • Mock Server Integration: Deploy applications to existing or new mock servers for testing.
  • Release Management: Generate and manage release notes, including delta updates and full release versions.
  • API Specifications: Add and manage OpenAPI specs, using various views such as Swagger, JSON, YAML, and Form View.
  • API Governance: Enforce Spectral Rules to validate and ensure compliance of your OpenAPI specifications.

🧑‍💻 Step-by-Step Guide to Using Developer Studio

Step 1: Create an Application

  1. Navigate to Developer Studio: From the ATA homepage, go to API Testing Lab → Developer Studio from the left-hand sidebar.
  2. Click the ”+” Icon: To start creating a new application, click the ”+” icon at the top of the application list sidebar. This will initiate the application creation flow.
  3. Enter Application Details:
    • Application Name: Provide a descriptive name for your application (e.g., “User Authentication API”).
    • Application Type: Select the application type from the dropdown list. The options include:
      • API Application
      • Database Application
      • Web Application
      • Summary API Application
      • Others
  4. Define the Business Domain:
    • Click on the text box, enter your business domain, and click the “Add” button to create and save it.
  5. Select Tech Stack Type:
    • Choose either Frontend or Backend from the Tech Stack Type dropdown.
    • Based on the selection, another dropdown appears to select the specific framework:
      • Frontend Frameworks (if Frontend is selected): React, Vue, Angular, Next.js, etc.
      • Backend Frameworks (if Backend is selected): Express.js, Next.js, Django, etc.
  6. Define the Deployment Server:
    • Select the deployment server (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Serverless) where your application will be deployed.
  7. Enter Application Description:
    • Add a detailed description about the application and its purpose to provide context.
  8. Set Access Request Approval Type:
    • Choose the Access Request Approval Type:
      • None: No approval needed.
      • Anyone User Can Approve: Any user in the team can approve the request.
      • All Users Must Approve: All users in the team must approve the request.
    • If you select anything other than None, a new dropdown will appear allowing you to select Authorized Users. Choose users from the list who will have approval rights.
  9. Define Application Source:
    • Choose the Application Source from two options:
      • Git: Link to a Git repository.
      • API Gateway: Link to an API Gateway.
    • You can choose both options if necessary.
  10. Click Save: Once all fields are completed, click Save to create your API application.

Step 2: Configure Application Source and Deployment

Once the application is created, it will appear in the My Applications list. From here, you can configure the application source and deployment settings.

  1. Package Info:
    • Define the package title and version.
    • The Draft field is pre-filled by ATA.
  2. Configure Application Source:
    • Select either Git or API Gateway for your application’s data source.
    • Ensure that the Git repository or API Gateway is pre-configured within the system for seamless integration.
  3. Select Deployment Server:
    • Choose whether to deploy the application on an existing ATA mock server or create a new mock server.
    • If using an existing mock server, select the appropriate team and mock server from the dropdown options.
    • If creating a new mock server, select the necessary settings for deployment.
  4. Release Notes:
    • You can generate release notes by selecting one of the following options:
      • Delta: Only includes changes since the last release.
      • Generate Full Release Notes: Generates a complete release note.
      • Manually Add Release Notes: Write custom release notes.
    • If Delta is selected, choose the version and package for comparison, then click Generate Release Notes.

Step 3: API Specification Configuration

  1. API Spec Tab:
    • In this tab, you define the OpenAPI Specification (OpenAPI Spec) for the application.
    • You can either import the OpenAPI Spec from a configured Git repository or API Gateway, or write it manually.
  2. Views for API Spec: ATA offers different views for managing the OpenAPI Spec:
    • Code View (JSON and YAML): Provides raw access to the OpenAPI Spec in JSON or YAML format.
    • Form View: Displays the spec in a form-based layout for easier editing.
    • Swagger View: Shows the OpenAPI Spec in a Swagger-like interface for easy navigation.
  3. Preview Tab:
    • Click on the Preview Tab to see how the spec will render visually.
  4. Error Tab:
    • Displays any validation errors in your OpenAPI Spec according to the Spectral Rules applied during API Governance.

Step 4: Generate and Manage API Specification

Once the OpenAPI Spec is configured and validated, you can proceed with managing and versioning the API Spec:

  • Add API Spec Manually: If not importing from a source, manually define the OpenAPI spec for your API in the Form View or Code View.
  • Validate API Spec: Use ATA’s validation rules to ensure your API spec complies with the required standards.
  • Publish: When you are satisfied with the API spec, you can publish it for deployment.

5️⃣ Final Notes on Developer Studio

Developer Studio in AllThingsAPI (ATA) provides a comprehensive, flexible environment for designing and managing APIs. From defining applications and tech stacks to linking APIs with external sources like Git and API Gateways, ATA gives you complete control over your API lifecycle. The multi-level access flow ensures proper governance and ownership of APIs, while the ability to track dependencies between different teams and projects enhances collaboration and transparency.

By using Developer Studio, you can efficiently design, deploy, and manage APIs, ensuring they meet all business and technical requirements while adhering to best practices.

Happy development! 🚀

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