GAAPi

GAAPi is a software framework and API specification intended to standardize access to accounting data while preserving GAAP-compliant representations. It defines a unified data model that reflects core financial statements, journals, ledgers, and entity hierarchies, enabling interoperable access for ERP, reporting, and analytics tools. The framework emphasizes auditability, data provenance, and cross-system reconciliation.

The project originated from a collaboration among accounting software developers, auditors, and standards groups beginning in 2019, with public specifications released in the early 2020s. GAAPi is maintained as an open reference specification designed to accommodate diverse chart-of-account arrangements and multi-entity structures while enforcing GAAP-based validation rules.

Architecture and features: It supports REST and GraphQL interfaces, with security layers including OAuth 2.0, TLS, and granular role-based access control. The data model covers assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses, and includes journal entries, postings, and period-end adjustments. It provides immutable audit logs, reconciliation workflows, currency support, and multi-period consolidation. Validation rules enforce GAAP-compliant postings, including capitalization, depreciation, impairment, and revenue recognition.

Adoption and impact: GAAPi is intended to be used by ERP and financial-reporting platforms to enable consistent external reporting, internal consolidation, and audit readiness. By offering a common API surface, it aims to reduce integration costs, improve data quality, and facilitate cross-application analytics while aligning with professional accounting practices.

See also: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, accounting software, data standards, and API interoperability.