API Blueprint

aid: api-blueprint
name: API Blueprint
description: API Blueprint is a high-level API description language using Markdown-based syntax for designing, documenting,
  and prototyping web APIs. Created by Apiary and released under the MIT License, API Blueprint uses .apib files with a concise
  Markdown format that makes APIs accessible to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. The project is no longer actively
  maintained (all apiaryio GitHub repos are archived as of 2024) but remains a notable specification in API design history,
  influencing later formats like OpenAPI.
type: Index
deliveryModel:
  model: unknown
  open_source: unknown
  commercial: true
  callable_host: false
  label: Delivery model not determined — needs a product licence on record
  confidence: low
  source:
  - pricing
  - repository-unlicensed
  generated: '2026-08-28'
  method: derived
accessModel:
  pricing: freemium
  onboarding: unknown
  trial: false
  try_now: false
  public: false
  label: Freemium
  confidence: medium
  source:
  - plans
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/api-blueprint.png
tags:
- API Design
- Specification Language
- Markdown
- Documentation
- API Description Language
- Parsing
- Open Source
- Developer Tools
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/api-blueprint/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-03-25'
modified: '2026-09-02'
specificationVersion: '0.23'
apis:
- aid: api-blueprint:api-blueprint
  name: API Blueprint
  description: API Blueprint is a high-level API description language using Markdown-based syntax for designing, documenting,
    and prototyping APIs. Files use the .apib extension with media type text/vnd.apiblueprint. The project was archived in
    2024 after being developed by Apiary (acquired by Oracle).
  humanURL: https://apiblueprint.org
  tags:
  - API Design
  - Specification Language
  - Markdown
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://apiblueprint.org/documentation/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/apiaryio/api-blueprint
  - type: Specification
    url: https://github.com/apiaryio/api-blueprint/blob/master/API%20Blueprint%20Specification.md
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://apiblueprint.org/documentation/tutorial.html
- aid: api-blueprint:api-blueprint-api
  name: API Blueprint API
  description: The API Blueprint API is the parsing service operated at api.apiblueprint.org by the API Blueprint project.
    It parses API Blueprint and Swagger 2.0 documents into the Refract Parse Result Namespace (API Elements) and composes
    API Blueprint back out of API Elements. The service is open, requires no authentication or API key, and is driven entirely
    by HTTP content negotiation. Probed live and answering on 2026-09-02 even though every apiaryio GitHub repository was
    archived on 2024-11-08.
  humanURL: https://apiblueprintapi.docs.apiary.io/
  baseURL: https://api.apiblueprint.org
  tags:
  - API Design
  - Parsing
  - Specification Language
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/api-blueprint-parsing-service-openapi.yml
  - type: APIBlueprint
    url: apib/api-blueprint-api.apib
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://apiblueprintapi.docs.apiary.io/
  - type: SourceCode
    url: https://github.com/apiaryio/api.apiblueprint.org
  - type: Authentication
    url: authentication/api-blueprint-authentication.yml
  - type: ErrorCatalog
    url: errors/api-blueprint-problem-types.yml
  - type: Conventions
    url: conventions/api-blueprint-conventions.yml
  - type: Overlay
    url: overlays/api-blueprint-parsing-service-overlay.yaml
  - type: DataModel
    url: data-model/api-blueprint-data-model.yml
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: json-schema/api-blueprint-api-elements-element-schema.json
common:
- type: IssueTracker
  url: https://github.com/apiaryio/api-blueprint/issues
- type: Releases
  url: https://github.com/apiaryio/api-blueprint/releases
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/api-blueprint-domain-security.yml
- type: Website
  url: https://apiblueprint.org
- type: Documentation
  url: https://apiblueprint.org/documentation/
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/apiaryio
- type: TermsOfService
  url: https://github.com/apiaryio/api-blueprint/blob/master/LICENSE
- type: Features
  data:
  - name: Markdown-Based Syntax
    description: API Blueprint uses concise Markdown syntax making API descriptions readable by both developers and non-technical
      stakeholders. Files use the .apib extension with media type text/vnd.apiblueprint.
  - name: Data Structure Modeling
    description: Supports reusable data structure definitions using MSON (Markdown Syntax for Object Notation) for describing
      complex request and response schemas.
  - name: Mock Server Generation
    description: API Blueprint documents can drive mock server generation for rapid prototyping and front-end development
      before backend implementation.
  - name: Testing with Dredd
    description: The Dredd HTTP testing tool uses API Blueprint specs to run contract tests validating that API implementations
      match their documented contracts.
  - name: RFC-Driven Governance
    description: API Blueprint evolution was governed through an RFC process similar to Rust and Django, with proposals submitted
      to the api-blueprint-rfcs repository.
- type: UseCases
  data:
  - name: API Documentation
    description: Write human-readable API documentation in Markdown that doubles as a machine-parseable specification for
      tooling.
  - name: Contract Testing
    description: Use API Blueprint specs with Dredd to verify that API implementations conform to their documented contracts
      in CI pipelines.
  - name: API Prototyping
    description: Rapidly prototype APIs by writing Blueprint specs first, then generating mock servers from the specification.
- type: Integrations
  data:
  - name: Apiary
    description: API Blueprint was the native specification format of the Apiary platform (acquired by Oracle), which provided
      hosted documentation, mock servers, and testing.
  - name: Drafter Parser
    description: The canonical API Blueprint parser written in C++ with bindings for Node.js (drafter.js, drafter-npm) and
      other languages.
  - name: Dredd Testing Framework
    description: Language-agnostic HTTP API testing tool that validates live API implementations against API Blueprint or
      Swagger/OpenAPI specs.
  - name: Swagger Conversion
    description: The swagger2blueprint tool converted Swagger API descriptions into API Blueprint format for migration workflows.
- type: Packages
  url: packages/api-blueprint-packages.yml
- type: SDKs
  url: packages/api-blueprint-packages.yml
- type: CLI
  url: cli/api-blueprint-cli.yml
- type: LLMsTxt
  url: llms/api-blueprint-llms.txt
- type: Conformance
  url: conformance/api-blueprint-conformance.yml
- type: Lifecycle
  url: lifecycle/api-blueprint-lifecycle.yml
- type: ChangeLog
  url: changelog/api-blueprint-changelog.yml
- type: Plans
  url: plans/api-blueprint-plans-pricing.yml
- type: RateLimits
  url: rate-limits/api-blueprint-rate-limits.yml
- type: X-MCPServerCandidate
  url: mcp/api-blueprint-mcp.yml
  note: 'Renamed from MCPServer 2026-09-03 (roadmap#247): the manifest self-describes as status: candidate — a tool list derived
    from the published API contracts, not an existing server. The scorer already read the manifest and reported mcp_server
    correctly; the MCPServer type was crediting the artifact-type surfaces with a server that does not exist.'
- type: AgentSkill
  url: skills/_index.yml
- type: FinOps
  url: finops/api-blueprint-finops.yml
- type: DeveloperPortal
  url: https://apiblueprint.org/developers.html
- type: Support
  url: https://apiblueprint.org/support.html
- type: Tutorials
  url: https://apiblueprint.org/documentation/tutorial.html
- type: Reference
  url: https://apiblueprint.org/documentation/specification.html
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/apiaryio/api-blueprint
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com
x-enrichment:
  date: '2026-09-02'
  status: enriched
  artifacts_added: 24
  pass: local-v1