Migrate Your API Documentation from Static Docs to Interactive API Platforms with OpenAPI: A Step-by-step Guide

API documentation has long gone from having a static and boring interface to an interactive and intuitive one with several dynamic features. These features enhance developers' experience by enabling them to directly interact with the API on the platform, get live responses, and accelerate the integration process, which can significantly increase the API usage rate.

If you want to leverage the advantages that these interactive platforms offer, you're on the right track.

This guide will explain the step-by-step process of migrating your API documentation from a static platform to an interactive one using the OpenAPI specification.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have a basic understanding of:

• How to test endpoints on Postman. You can get started with this guide.

• How to use GitHub and VS Code

Why an Interactive API Documentation Platform Is Crucial

An interactive API documentation platform provides comprehensive information about an API with additional functionality that allows developers to make live API calls directly on the platform. This offers a learn-by-doing approach by allowing the developers to learn about how the API works and observe its operations by interacting with it.

It includes features that allow developers to input parameters, send requests, and get live responses without having to set up a testing environment.

This interactivity offers several advantages, such as:

1. Faster integration process: Directly testing the endpoints on the platform leads to a faster integration process, as developers do not need to create a separate testing environment.

2. Improved understanding: It makes it easier for developers to easily understand how to use the API by offering a learn-by-doing approach.

3. Enhanced user experience: It creates a user-friendly experience for developers by allowing them to make live calls directly on the platform.

4. Greater adoption usage: The ease of use and enhanced user experience that interactive platforms offer can lead to greater adoption usage, which in turn brings in more profits for the platform.

What Is an OpenAPI Specification?

The OpenAPI specification is a standardized format for describing APIs. It is a blueprint that defines the structure and functionality of an API and can be integrated with different documentation platforms.

Converting your documentation to OpenAPI specification provides you with the flexibility of migrating it to any desired API documentation platform of your choice.

How to Migrate Your API Documentation

Follow these five simple steps to migrate your API documentation from a static platform to any interactive API documentation platform of your choice.

Step 1: Test your endpoints on Postman.

Step 2: Convert the endpoints to an OpenAPI specification.

Step 3: Convert the OpenAPI specification to YAML.

Step 4: Edit the OpenAPI specification.

Step 5: Upload the OpenAPI specification file on your preferred API documentation platform.

Step 1: Test Endpoints on Postman

The first step to migrating your documentation is testing all endpoints on Postman. This process makes it easier to get an OpenAPI specification file by using the ‘Export’ feature on the Postman collection.

The steps include:

Step i: Creating a collection on Postman.

Step ii: Creating a folder inside the collection.

Step iii: Testing all endpoints.

Step iv: Saving the responses of each endpoint.

After you have tested all endpoints on Postman, the next step is to convert the endpoints to an OpenAPI specification.

Step 2: Convert the Endpoints to an OpenAPI Specification

Follow these steps to convert your endpoints on Postman to OpenAPI specification:

Step i: Open the collection you have on Postman.

Step ii: Click the ‘View more’ option.

Step iii: Click the ‘Export’ button.

You should have a new OpenAPI specification file.

After exporting the OpenAPI specification, the next thing is to convert it from JSON to YAML. This is because YAML is more readable and easy to understand compared to JSON.

Step 3: Convert the OpenAPI Specification to YAML

Follow these steps to convert your OpenAPI specification to YAML:

Step i: Use an OpenAPI converter.

Step ii: Paste your OpenAPI specification in the Postman Collection JSON section of the converter.

Step iii: Copy your converted OpenAPI specification in YAML format

After converting your OpenAPI specification to YAML, the next step is to edit the file on an OpenAPI editor like Swagger.

This enables you to see your API definition code on one side and its live preview on the other side. It makes it easier to make necessary edits to your documentation, such as adding descriptions to parameters and endpoints.

Additionally, it enables you to get real-time validation, ensuring your API definition complies with the rules and syntax of the OpenAPI specification.

Step 4: Edit the OpenAPI Specification

Follow these steps to edit an OpenAPI specification:

Step i: Use an OpenAPI editor like Swagger.

Step ii: Paste your OpenAPI specification in YAML format.

Step iii: Make necessary edits to the OpenAPI specification.

Step 5: Upload the OpenAPI specification on your preferred API platform

After you have made the necessary edits to your OpenAPI specification, then you can upload it on any API documentation platform of your choice, such as Readme, Mintlify, Swagger UI, and more.

This is the flexibility that the OpenAPI specification gives, allowing you to migrate your documentation to any API documentation platform without restrictions.

Next Steps

After successfully uploading your API documentation on your preferred interactive platform, you can proceed to edit your documentation based on your preference. This may include adding endpoint and parameter descriptions to your OpenAPI specification and conceptual pages to make your API documentation comprehensive, clear, and easy to integrate.

If you would like to upload your OpenAPI specification on Mintlify, check out this guide.