Automated API Governance Platform for Harmonizing and Validating Definitions

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Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing complexity and inconsistency of application programming interfaces (APIs) due to various development approaches lead to difficulties in designing, managing, and deploying APIs across different platforms, resulting in errors and inefficiencies in collaborative development and deployment.

Innovation Solution

An automated application interface governance platform that harmonizes, validates, and replicates API definitions, using a model harmonizer, governance analyzer, and replication generator to standardize API structures, reduce duplication, and ensure interoperability across different APIs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple ad hoc and non-standard APIs are created for specific use cases, then API functionality and coverage increase, but API consistency and manageability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAPI functionality coverageVSAvoidAPI management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments API management into distinct functional modules including API definition, validation, harmonization, and replication components. Each module handles specific aspects of API processing independently, allowing the system to manage diverse APIs without overwhelming complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary governance platform that sits between API creators and API consumers. This platform harmonizes and validates APIs before deployment, acting as a mediator that ensures consistency across multiple APIs without restricting their individual functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If manual API design and error correction processes are used, then API definition accuracy can be improved, but development time and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAPI definition accuracyVSAvoidAPI development time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary validation and harmonization checks that are automatically performed during API definition creation. Errors are detected and corrected before deployment through automated governance rules, eliminating the need for manual error correction later in the process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the governance platform continuously monitors API definitions and provides automated validation results. This feedback loop enables real-time correction of inconsistencies without requiring manual intervention, maintaining accuracy while reducing development time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If API standards are enforced to facilitate reuse, then API interoperability improves, but flexibility in individual API design is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAPI reuse capabilityVSAvoidAPI design flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allowing different levels of standardization for different API components. Critical interoperability elements are strictly standardized, while non-critical design aspects maintain flexibility. This enables APIs to be reusable where needed without imposing unnecessary constraints on overall design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Stability of the object's composition

If legacy APIs are manually recast to comply with current standards, then API consistency improves, but resource consumption and friction between teams increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAPI consistencyVSAvoidCoordination complexity between teams

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses automated replication to create standardized versions of legacy APIs without manually recasting them. The system copies legacy API functionality and applies governance rules to generate compliant versions, preserving original API behavior while ensuring consistency across the API portfolio.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11609801B2Application interface governance platform to harmonize, validate, and replicate data-driven definitions to execute application interface functionality

Publication Date: 2023.03.21 STOPLIGHT INC

AI summary

Various embodiments relate generally to data science and data analysis, computer software and systems, including a subset of intermediary executable instructions constituting an communication interface between various software and/or hardware platforms, and, more specifically, to an automated application interface governance platform to automate development, maintenance, and governance functions for application interfaces, such as harmonizing, validating, and/or replicating application program interfaces (“APIs”). For example, a method may include identifying a subset of application interfaces, synthesizing a data structure for each application interface, analyzing the data structure against other data structures to identify duplicative portions among multiple data structures, substituting a reference to a location into a portion of multiple application interfaces. Optionally, the method may include evaluating interoperability of multiple application interfaces to validate collective operation of a subset of application interfaces.