The document covers the importance of APIs in software development, highlighting Amazon's policy of exposing all data and functionality through APIs for internal and external use. It discusses various API interfaces for Joomla and introduces the Slim Framework for building RESTful APIs, emphasizing the need for clean URLs and reliable documentation. Additionally, it mentions tools like Swagger for API documentation and client generation.

1. Don't worry be “API” / JaB 2014
Frankfurt©Flickr-JensMayer

2. How are you ?
→ Have an API or plan one ?
→ Developer / designer / integrator ?
→ How many APIs have you already use
today ?

3. Pierre-André Vullioud
Watchful.li CTO
Joomla enthusiast
Owner of inetis.ch
#pavullioud

4. APIs in 2014
source : www.programmableweb.com/api-research

5. Amazon
→ All teams will expose their data and functionality
through API.
→ There will be no other form of interprocess
communication [..]
→ Anyone who doesn't do this will be fired.
Amazon policy set by Jeff Bezos in 2003

6. Open your system
→ Internal use
→ Apps
→ Clients
→ Partners
Data
API
Functionality
app
partners
services

7. REST
Everything is a resource
verbs : GET, PUT, POST, DELETE, PATCH
GET /sessions

8. Relations
GET /speakers/12/sessions

9. Filtering, sorting,
GET /sessions?date=20140601
GET /sessions?sort=+date,+name

10. Limit fields, callback
GET /sessions?fields=date,name,id
GET /sessions?callback=myFunction

11. API interfaces for Joomla
J!1.5 : XML-RPC
J!2.5 : com_api
J!3.2 : com_ajax and com_api
External solution : Slim Framework

12. com_api
for J! 2.5 & 3.x
a component by Techjoomla
extended by plugins
Example of call : index.php?
option=com_api&app=jab&format=raw&resource=sessions&id=14&api
_key=123456qwert12
http://techjoomla.com/rest-api-for-joomla

13. com_api
Pro
inside Joomla
compatible 2.5/3.x
Con
code based on J!1.5
URL not clean or fight
with router.php

14. com_ajax
Since J! 3.2 in the core
Extended by plugins & modules
First use for intern ajax call
Example of call : index.php?
option=com_ajax&plugin=session&format=json
http://docs.joomla.org/Using_Joomla_Ajax_Interface

15. com_ajax
Pro
core of Joomla
compatible J!1.5/2.5/3.x
Con
URLs not clean

16. Slim Framework
PHP micro framework
REST URLs based
Light
Example of call :
/api/v1/sessions/12
slimframework.com

17. Slim Framework
Pro
Clean URLs
RESTFull
Cons
Not inside J!
Need to learn

18. Files
api/ Slim
v1/
{..}
.htaccess
index.php
End point = https://mysite.
com/api/v1/session

19. Weeding J!Slim
require_once ( JPATH_BASE . '/includes/defines.php' );
require_once ( JPATH_BASE . '/includes/framework.php' );
$application = & JFactory::getApplication('site');
$application->initialise();
require '../Slim/Slim.php';

20. Add Middleware
$app = new SlimSlim
$app->_db = JFactory::getDbo();
$app->view(new JsonApiView());
$app->add(new JsonApiMiddleware());

21. Define route and execute
$app->get('/', function() use ($app) {
$app->render(200, array(
'msg' => 'You reach the JAB API V1' )); });
$app->map('/sessions/', function() use ($app) { ...})->via('GET');
$app->map('/sessions/:id', function($id) use ($app) { ...})->via
('GET');
$app->run();

22. Demo

23. Documentation
API is only as good as its
documentation

24. Swagger
describing, producing, consuming, and
visualizing RESTful web services
Specification: https://github.com/wordnik/swagger-spec
Swagger™ Demo: http://petstore.swagger.wordnik.com/

25. PHP comments
* @SWGApi(
* path="/logs/metadata",
* @SWGOperation(
* method="GET",
* summary="Get the list of fields",
* notes="Returns a list of fields",
* type="Logs",
* nickname="getFieldsLogs" (…)

26. Parse the code
Code Parser
JSON
output

27. Use it
Generate online documentation
http://petstore.swagger.wordnik.com/
Generate clients in different languages
https://github.com/wordnik/swagger-codegen
Share you api : http://apicommons.org/apis.html

28. Other tools
Consoles :
App for chrome
Online console
API proxy :
http://apigee.com
http://www.3scale.net
http://www.mashery.com/

29. Questions ?

30. Ressources
Github : https://github.
com/pvullioud/joomla-slimframework