apiprofile

An apiprofile is a formal, machine-readable representation of an application programming interface (API). It describes the available resources, operations, data models, and usage constraints in a structured form that can be consumed by developers and tooling. API profiles act as a single source of truth that facilitates discovery, integration, and automation.

A typical apiprofile enumerates endpoints and HTTP methods, required and optional parameters, request and response schemas, authentication and authorization requirements, pagination, rate limits, and error formats. It may also include versioning information, data formats, and terms of use. Profiles are commonly authored in standards such as OpenAPI, RAML, API Blueprint, or AsyncAPI and serialized in YAML or JSON.

In practice, apiprofiles support client SDK generation, contract testing, API catalogs, and automated documentation. They enable tooling to validate requests, generate client code, and enforce runtime governance. Keeping profiles synchronized with the live API is important, as changes to endpoints or data models must be reflected to maintain compatibility with consumers.

Related standards and ecosystems include OpenAPI, RAML, API Blueprint, and AsyncAPI.