How to specify API specifications using generative AI
APIs (application programming interfaces) are applications that orchestrate calls and responses between systems.
Consider an instant message on an application like WhatsApp. When the user sends a message, it is going to an url (endpoint) that might be something like https://apis.whatsapp.com/messenger/thread/{threadId}
. The message is received by this API and then written into a database.
Creating an OpenAPI specification for your bicycle rental application API middleware is a great way to establish clear documentation and generate boilerplate code for your Node.js Express server. In this article, we will walk through the process of creating an OpenAPI specification and then generating a Node.js Express application based on that specification.
Start by designing the OpenAPI specification for your bicycle rental application. The specification should define the API's endpoints, request and response formats, and any necessary authentication or authorization details. Here's a simple example of an OpenAPI specification for a bicycle rental application:
Save the specification in a file named bicycle-rental-api.yaml
.
Below I have imported the spec into the documentation to demonstrate that the created spec compiles successfully.
Note the above is a very simple API specification. You could use prompt patterns from the replacement, transformation, and generation knowledges areas to build out a production grade API spec.
To generate the Node.js Express code based on your OpenAPI specification, you can use tools like OpenAPI Generator or swagger-node-codegen. In this example, we'll use the OpenAPI Generator.
First, install the OpenAPI Generator CLI:
Next, generate the Node.js Express code:
This command will create a new directory named bicycle-rental-api
, containing the generated Node.js Express code based on your OpenAPI specification.
Navigate to the bicycle-rental-api
directory and install the required dependencies:
Now, run the generated Express server:
Your Express server should now be running, and you can access the API endpoints as defined in your OpenAPI specification.
By creating an OpenAPI specification for your bicycle rental application API middleware and using a code generation tool, you can establish clear documentation and kickstart your Node.js Express server development. As you continue to develop your application, you can update the OpenAPI specification to reflect changes or additions to your API and regenerate the server code as needed.
Successfully retrieved the list of bicycles
Successfully retrieved the bicycle details