API Spec Designer

APEX API Spec Designer empowers agencies to independently design and manage their API specifications directly through a visual interface on the APEX Portal. With real-time validation and built-in best-practice guardrails, anyone can design standards-compliant APIs with confidence and security, without ever needing to open or edit raw JSON or YAML files.

The Problem

Handling and managing API lifecycle can be difficult for public officers, as they are often met with obstacles and restrictions in their daily work.

• Manual file handling restrictions: Our standard government devices restrict users from uploading or editing JSON/YAML files, making it difficult to create or update OpenAPI specifications.

• Steep learning curve for new users: Non-developers or business officers often struggle to understand complex specification formats and API structures, relying heavily on technical teams for even small changes.

• Inconsistent documentation: Without a unified tool, teams often create their own formats or rely on markdown guides and spreadsheets, leading to discrepancies between intended and actual API behavior.

• Limited collaboration: Teams lack a shared workspace for reviewing, editing, and approving API specifications, making co-creation slow and error-prone.

The Solution

APEX API Spec Designer brings a secure, guided, and collaborative environment for API creation directly into the APEX platform.

• Visual API design: Define endpoints, parameters, responses, and metadata through an intuitive GUI, with instant feedback and validation.

• Built-in guidance and guardrails: Follow best practices automatically with APEX’s embedded validation rules and real-time hints to ensure API quality and compliance.

• Collaborative workspaces: Invite team members to co-design, review, and refine API specifications together. Your team may create re-usable templates with this feature.

• Seamless publishing to APEX: Instantly push finalized specifications into the APEX gateway, ready for onboarding, testing, or publishing to consumers.

• No file handling needed: Work around the restrictions on JSON/YAML editing by working entirely within a secure, browser-based interface.

The Benefits

With APEX API Spec Designer, agencies can:

• Empower non-developers: Enable officers of any technical background to design and publish APIs confidently.

• Standardize quality: Maintain consistent, compliant specifications across teams and agencies.

• Accelerate collaboration: Shorten the API creation lifecycle with a simplified approach that creates meaningful API specifications that your consumers will love.

• Enhance security and compliance: Avoid manual file transfers while keeping data within government-managed infrastructure.

• Reduce dependency on developers: Free up engineering teams to focus on implementation, not documentation.

APEX API Spec Designer transforms how public officers create and collaborate on APIs, making modern API design accessible, guided, and secure for everyone.