Normalized Service Model for Web API Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in allowing web applications to expose web APIs in new formats or standards without requiring changes to the application code, limiting flexibility and developer productivity.
Innovation Solution
A normalized service model metadata repository is generated using annotation processors to translate web APIs, enabling exposure in new formats and standards by extracting entity relationships and operations from annotated code, allowing for quick support of new APIs without modifying the application code.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If web applications are developed to support specific web API formats and standards, then the application can provide stable and reliable service, but the application code must be modified to support new formats and standards, reducing flexibility and developer productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the web API exposure mechanism into two independent layers: the application code layer and the metadata repository layer. Annotations in the code extract service models which are stored in a normalized metadata repository, separating the stable application logic from the flexible API format configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
A normalized metadata repository acts as an intermediary between the application code and the web API exposure mechanism. The repository stores service models extracted from code annotations and enables translation to various web API formats without modifying the original application code.
2Ease of manufacture
If web applications are developed with hardcoded web API support, then the application code is simple and straightforward, but the application cannot expose web APIs in new formats or standards without code changes, limiting flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by extracting service models from code annotations during development and storing them in a normalized metadata repository beforehand. This pre-extraction enables flexible API format support without requiring future code modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the service model information from the application code into a separate metadata repository. This copy contains all necessary information to generate various web API formats, allowing the original code to remain simple while enabling format flexibility.
3Reliability
If developers manually update application code to support new web API standards, then the application can adapt to new standards, but developer productivity decreases due to additional modification work
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically extracting service models from code annotations and generating the normalized metadata repository without developer intervention. This automation maintains reliability for new standards while preserving developer productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for generating and using a normalized service model metadata repository to translate web APIs are described. In some embodiments, a normalized service model generator may allow an application to expose web APIs in new formats and/or standards that were unknown during development of the application and without requiring a change of code to the application to support the new formats and/or standards. In some cases, code or programming instructions associated with an application may include annotations (e.g., Java annotations) that classify whether particular methods or functions within the code correspond with a particular operation and specify relationships between objects or entities within the code. An annotation processor may process the code in order to extract entity relationships and service models exposed by the application and to generate a normalized metadata repository that may be translated into any kind of web API.