The key words “MUST”, “MUST NOT”, “REQUIRED”, “SHALL”, “SHALL NOT”, “SHOULD”, “SHOULD NOT”, “RECOMMENDED”, “NOT RECOMMENDED”, “MAY”, and “OPTIONAL” in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 RFC2119 RFC8174 when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.
This document is licensed under The Apache License, Version 2.0.
The OpenAPI Specification (OAS) defines a standard, language-agnostic interface to RESTful APIs which allows both humans and computers to discover and understand the capabilities of the service without access to source code, documentation, or through network traffic inspection. When properly defined, a consumer can understand and interact with the remote service with a minimal amount of implementation logic.
An OpenAPI definition can then be used by documentation generation tools to display the API, code generation tools to generate servers and clients in various programming languages, testing tools, and many other use cases.
A document (or set of documents) that defines or describes an API. An OpenAPI definition uses and conforms to the OpenAPI Specification.
Path templating refers to the usage of curly braces ({}) to mark a section of a URL path as replaceable using path parameters.
Media type definitions are spread across several resources. The media type definitions SHOULD be in compliance with RFC6838.
Some examples of possible media type definitions:
text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/json application/vnd.github+json application/vnd.github.v3+json application/vnd.github.v3.raw+json application/vnd.github.v3.text+json application/vnd.github.v3.html+json application/vnd.github.v3.full+json application/vnd.github.v3.diff application/vnd.github.v3.patch
The HTTP Status Codes are used to indicate the status of the executed operation. The available status codes are defined by RFC7231 and registered status codes are listed in the IANA Status Code Registry.
The OpenAPI Specification is versioned using Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 (semver) and follows the semver specification.
The major
.minor
portion of the semver (for example 3.0
) SHALL designate the OAS feature set. Typically, .patch
versions address errors in this document, not the feature set. Tooling which supports OAS 3.0 SHOULD be compatible with all OAS 3.0.* versions. The patch version SHOULD NOT be considered by tooling, making no distinction between 3.0.0
and 3.0.1
for example.
Subsequent minor version releases of the OpenAPI Specification (incrementing the minor
version number) SHOULD NOT interfere with tooling developed to a lower minor version and same major version. Thus a hypothetical 3.1.0
specification SHOULD be usable with tooling designed for 3.0.0
.
An OpenAPI document compatible with OAS 3.*.* contains a required openapi
field which designates the semantic version of the OAS that it uses. (OAS 2.0 documents contain a top-level version field named swagger
and value "2.0"
.)
An OpenAPI document that conforms to the OpenAPI Specification is itself a JSON object, which may be represented either in JSON or YAML format.
For example, if a field has an array value, the JSON array representation will be used:
{ "field": [ 1, 2, 3 ] }
All field names in the specification are case sensitive.
The schema exposes two types of fields: Fixed fields, which have a declared name, and Patterned fields, which declare a regex pattern for the field name.
Patterned fields MUST have unique names within the containing object.
In order to preserve the ability to round-trip between YAML and JSON formats, YAML version 1.2 is RECOMMENDED along with some additional constraints:
Note: While APIs may be defined by OpenAPI documents in either YAML or JSON format, the API request and response bodies and other content are not required to be JSON or YAML.
An OpenAPI document MAY be made up of a single document or be divided into multiple, connected parts at the discretion of the user. In the latter case, $ref
fields MUST be used in the specification to reference those parts as follows from the JSON Schema definitions.
It is RECOMMENDED that the root OpenAPI document be named: openapi.json
or openapi.yaml
.
Primitive data types in the OAS are based on the types supported by the JSON Schema Specification Wright Draft 00. Note that integer
as a type is also supported and is defined as a JSON number without a fraction or exponent part. null
is not supported as a type (see nullable
for an alternative solution). Models are defined using the Schema Object, which is an extended subset of JSON Schema Specification Wright Draft 00.
Primitives have an optional modifier property: format
. OAS uses several known formats to define in fine detail the data type being used. However, to support documentation needs, the format
property is an open string
-valued property, and can have any value. Formats such as "email"
, "uuid"
, and so on, MAY be used even though undefined by this specification. Types that are not accompanied by a format
property follow the type definition in the JSON Schema. Tools that do not recognize a specific format
MAY default back to the type
alone, as if the format
is not specified.
The formats defined by the OAS are:
Common Name | type | format | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
integer | integer | int32 | signed 32 bits |
long | integer | int64 | signed 64 bits |
float | number | float | |
double | number | double | |
string | string | ||
byte | string | byte | base64 encoded characters |
binary | string | binary | any sequence of octets |
boolean | boolean | ||
date | string | date | As defined by full-date - RFC3339 |
dateTime | string | date-time | As defined by date-time - RFC3339 |
password | string | password | A hint to UIs to obscure input. |
Throughout the specification description
fields are noted as supporting CommonMark markdown formatting. Where OpenAPI tooling renders rich text it MUST support, at a minimum, markdown syntax as described by CommonMark 0.27. Tooling MAY choose to ignore some CommonMark features to address security concerns.
Unless specified otherwise, all properties that are URLs MAY be relative references as defined by RFC3986. Relative references are resolved using the URLs defined in the Server Object
as a Base URI.
Relative references used in $ref
are processed as per JSON Reference, using the URL of the current document as the base URI. See also the Reference Object.
In the following description, if a field is not explicitly REQUIRED or described with a MUST or SHALL, it can be considered OPTIONAL.
This is the root document object of the OpenAPI document.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
openapi | string | REQUIRED. This string MUST be the semantic version number of the OpenAPI Specification version that the OpenAPI document uses. The openapi field SHOULD be used by tooling specifications and clients to interpret the OpenAPI document. This is not related to the API info.version string. |
info | Info Object | REQUIRED. Provides metadata about the API. The metadata MAY be used by tooling as required. |
servers | [Server Object] | An array of Server Objects, which provide connectivity information to a target server. If the servers property is not provided, or is an empty array, the default value would be a Server Object with a url value of / . |
paths | Paths Object | REQUIRED. The available paths and operations for the API. |
components | Components Object | An element to hold various schemas for the specification. |
security | [Security Requirement Object] | A declaration of which security mechanisms can be used across the API. The list of values includes alternative security requirement objects that can be used. Only one of the security requirement objects need to be satisfied to authorize a request. Individual operations can override this definition. |
tags | [Tag Object] | A list of tags used by the specification with additional metadata. The order of the tags can be used to reflect on their order by the parsing tools. Not all tags that are used by the Operation Object must be declared. The tags that are not declared MAY be organized randomly or based on the tools' logic. Each tag name in the list MUST be unique. |
externalDocs | External Documentation Object | Additional external documentation. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
The object provides metadata about the API. The metadata MAY be used by the clients if needed, and MAY be presented in editing or documentation generation tools for convenience.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
title | string | REQUIRED. The title of the application. |
description | string | A short description of the application. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
termsOfService | string | A URL to the Terms of Service for the API. MUST be in the format of a URL. |
contact | Contact Object | The contact information for the exposed API. |
license | License Object | The license information for the exposed API. |
version | string | REQUIRED. The version of the OpenAPI document (which is distinct from the OpenAPI Specification version or the API implementation version). |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "title": "Sample Pet Store App", "description": "This is a sample server for a pet store.", "termsOfService": "http://example.com/terms/", "contact": { "name": "API Support", "url": "http://www.example.com/support", "email": "support@example.com" }, "license": { "name": "Apache 2.0", "url": "http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html" }, "version": "1.0.1" }
title: Sample Pet Store App description: This is a sample server for a pet store. termsOfService: http://example.com/terms/ contact: name: API Support url: http://www.example.com/support email: support@example.com license: name: Apache 2.0 url: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html version: 1.0.1
Contact information for the exposed API.
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "name": "API Support", "url": "http://www.example.com/support", "email": "support@example.com" }
name: API Support url: http://www.example.com/support email: support@example.com
License information for the exposed API.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
name | string | REQUIRED. The license name used for the API. |
url | string | A URL to the license used for the API. MUST be in the format of a URL. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "name": "Apache 2.0", "url": "http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html" }
name: Apache 2.0 url: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
An object representing a Server.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
url | string | REQUIRED. A URL to the target host. This URL supports Server Variables and MAY be relative, to indicate that the host location is relative to the location where the OpenAPI document is being served. Variable substitutions will be made when a variable is named in { brackets} . |
description | string | An optional string describing the host designated by the URL. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
variables | Map[string , Server Variable Object] | A map between a variable name and its value. The value is used for substitution in the server's URL template. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
A single server would be described as:
{ "url": "https://development.gigantic-server.com/v1", "description": "Development server" }
url: https://development.gigantic-server.com/v1 description: Development server
The following shows how multiple servers can be described, for example, at the OpenAPI Object's servers
:
{ "servers": [ { "url": "https://development.gigantic-server.com/v1", "description": "Development server" }, { "url": "https://staging.gigantic-server.com/v1", "description": "Staging server" }, { "url": "https://api.gigantic-server.com/v1", "description": "Production server" } ] }
servers: - url: https://development.gigantic-server.com/v1 description: Development server - url: https://staging.gigantic-server.com/v1 description: Staging server - url: https://api.gigantic-server.com/v1 description: Production server
The following shows how variables can be used for a server configuration:
{ "servers": [ { "url": "https://{username}.gigantic-server.com:{port}/{basePath}", "description": "The production API server", "variables": { "username": { "default": "demo", "description": "this value is assigned by the service provider, in this example `gigantic-server.com`" }, "port": { "enum": [ "8443", "443" ], "default": "8443" }, "basePath": { "default": "v2" } } } ] }
servers: - url: https://{username}.gigantic-server.com:{port}/{basePath} description: The production API server variables: username: # note! no enum here means it is an open value default: demo description: this value is assigned by the service provider, in this example `gigantic-server.com` port: enum: - '8443' - '443' default: '8443' basePath: # open meaning there is the opportunity to use special base paths as assigned by the provider, default is `v2` default: v2
An object representing a Server Variable for server URL template substitution.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
enum | [string ] | An enumeration of string values to be used if the substitution options are from a limited set. |
default | string | REQUIRED. The default value to use for substitution, and to send, if an alternate value is not supplied. Unlike the Schema Object's default , this value MUST be provided by the consumer. |
description | string | An optional description for the server variable. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
Holds a set of reusable objects for different aspects of the OAS. All objects defined within the components object will have no effect on the API unless they are explicitly referenced from properties outside the components object.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
schemas | Map[string , Schema Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Schema Objects. |
responses | Map[string , Response Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Response Objects. |
parameters | Map[string , Parameter Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Parameter Objects. |
examples | Map[string , Example Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Example Objects. |
requestBodies | Map[string , Request Body Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Request Body Objects. |
headers | Map[string , Header Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Header Objects. |
securitySchemes | Map[string , Security Scheme Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Security Scheme Objects. |
links | Map[string , Link Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Link Objects. |
callbacks | Map[string , Callback Object | Reference Object] | An object to hold reusable Callback Objects. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
All the fixed fields declared above are objects that MUST use keys that match the regular expression: ^[a-zA-Z0-9\.\-_]+$
.
Field Name Examples:
User User_1 User_Name user-name my.org.User
"components": { "schemas": { "Category": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "integer", "format": "int64" }, "name": { "type": "string" } } }, "Tag": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "integer", "format": "int64" }, "name": { "type": "string" } } } }, "parameters": { "skipParam": { "name": "skip", "in": "query", "description": "number of items to skip", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "integer", "format": "int32" } }, "limitParam": { "name": "limit", "in": "query", "description": "max records to return", "required": true, "schema" : { "type": "integer", "format": "int32" } } }, "responses": { "NotFound": { "description": "Entity not found." }, "IllegalInput": { "description": "Illegal input for operation." }, "GeneralError": { "description": "General Error", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/GeneralError" } } } } }, "securitySchemes": { "api_key": { "type": "apiKey", "name": "api_key", "in": "header" }, "petstore_auth": { "type": "oauth2", "flows": { "implicit": { "authorizationUrl": "http://example.org/api/oauth/dialog", "scopes": { "write:pets": "modify pets in your account", "read:pets": "read your pets" } } } } } }
components: schemas: Category: type: object properties: id: type: integer format: int64 name: type: string Tag: type: object properties: id: type: integer format: int64 name: type: string parameters: skipParam: name: skip in: query description: number of items to skip required: true schema: type: integer format: int32 limitParam: name: limit in: query description: max records to return required: true schema: type: integer format: int32 responses: NotFound: description: Entity not found. IllegalInput: description: Illegal input for operation. GeneralError: description: General Error content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/GeneralError' securitySchemes: api_key: type: apiKey name: api_key in: header petstore_auth: type: oauth2 flows: implicit: authorizationUrl: http://example.org/api/oauth/dialog scopes: write:pets: modify pets in your account read:pets: read your pets
Holds the relative paths to the individual endpoints and their operations. The path is appended to the URL from the Server Object
in order to construct the full URL. The Paths MAY be empty, due to ACL constraints.
Field Pattern | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
/{path} | Path Item Object | A relative path to an individual endpoint. The field name MUST begin with a slash. The path is appended (no relative URL resolution) to the expanded URL from the Server Object ‘s url field in order to construct the full URL. Path templating is allowed. When matching URLs, concrete (non-templated) paths would be matched before their templated counterparts. Templated paths with the same hierarchy but different templated names MUST NOT exist as they are identical. In case of ambiguous matching, it’s up to the tooling to decide which one to use. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
Assuming the following paths, the concrete definition, /pets/mine
, will be matched first if used:
/pets/{petId} /pets/mine
The following paths are considered identical and invalid:
/pets/{petId} /pets/{name}
The following may lead to ambiguous resolution:
/{entity}/me /books/{id}
{ "/pets": { "get": { "description": "Returns all pets from the system that the user has access to", "responses": { "200": { "description": "A list of pets.", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/pet" } } } } } } } } }
/pets: get: description: Returns all pets from the system that the user has access to responses: '200': description: A list of pets. content: application/json: schema: type: array items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/pet'
Describes the operations available on a single path. A Path Item MAY be empty, due to ACL constraints. The path itself is still exposed to the documentation viewer but they will not know which operations and parameters are available.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
$ref | string | Allows for an external definition of this path item. The referenced structure MUST be in the format of a Path Item Object. If there are conflicts between the referenced definition and this Path Item's definition, the behavior is undefined. |
summary | string | An optional, string summary, intended to apply to all operations in this path. |
description | string | An optional, string description, intended to apply to all operations in this path. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
get | Operation Object | A definition of a GET operation on this path. |
put | Operation Object | A definition of a PUT operation on this path. |
post | Operation Object | A definition of a POST operation on this path. |
delete | Operation Object | A definition of a DELETE operation on this path. |
options | Operation Object | A definition of a OPTIONS operation on this path. |
head | Operation Object | A definition of a HEAD operation on this path. |
patch | Operation Object | A definition of a PATCH operation on this path. |
trace | Operation Object | A definition of a TRACE operation on this path. |
servers | [Server Object] | An alternative server array to service all operations in this path. |
parameters | [Parameter Object | Reference Object] | A list of parameters that are applicable for all the operations described under this path. These parameters can be overridden at the operation level, but cannot be removed there. The list MUST NOT include duplicated parameters. A unique parameter is defined by a combination of a name and location. The list can use the Reference Object to link to parameters that are defined at the OpenAPI Object's components/parameters. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "get": { "description": "Returns pets based on ID", "summary": "Find pets by ID", "operationId": "getPetsById", "responses": { "200": { "description": "pet response", "content": { "*/*": { "schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Pet" } } } } }, "default": { "description": "error payload", "content": { "text/html": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/ErrorModel" } } } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "id", "in": "path", "description": "ID of pet to use", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "style": "simple" } ] }
get: description: Returns pets based on ID summary: Find pets by ID operationId: getPetsById responses: '200': description: pet response content: '*/*' : schema: type: array items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet' default: description: error payload content: 'text/html': schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorModel' parameters: - name: id in: path description: ID of pet to use required: true schema: type: array style: simple items: type: string
Describes a single API operation on a path.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
tags | [string ] | A list of tags for API documentation control. Tags can be used for logical grouping of operations by resources or any other qualifier. |
summary | string | A short summary of what the operation does. |
description | string | A verbose explanation of the operation behavior. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
externalDocs | External Documentation Object | Additional external documentation for this operation. |
operationId | string | Unique string used to identify the operation. The id MUST be unique among all operations described in the API. Tools and libraries MAY use the operationId to uniquely identify an operation, therefore, it is RECOMMENDED to follow common programming naming conventions. |
parameters | [Parameter Object | Reference Object] | A list of parameters that are applicable for this operation. If a parameter is already defined at the Path Item, the new definition will override it but can never remove it. The list MUST NOT include duplicated parameters. A unique parameter is defined by a combination of a name and location. The list can use the Reference Object to link to parameters that are defined at the OpenAPI Object's components/parameters. |
requestBody | Request Body Object | Reference Object | The request body applicable for this operation. The requestBody is only supported in HTTP methods where the HTTP 1.1 specification RFC7231 has explicitly defined semantics for request bodies. In other cases where the HTTP spec is vague, requestBody SHALL be ignored by consumers. |
responses | Responses Object | REQUIRED. The list of possible responses as they are returned from executing this operation. |
callbacks | Map[string , Callback Object | Reference Object] | A map of possible out-of band callbacks related to the parent operation. The key is a unique identifier for the Callback Object. Each value in the map is a Callback Object that describes a request that may be initiated by the API provider and the expected responses. The key value used to identify the callback object is an expression, evaluated at runtime, that identifies a URL to use for the callback operation. |
deprecated | boolean | Declares this operation to be deprecated. Consumers SHOULD refrain from usage of the declared operation. Default value is false . |
security | [Security Requirement Object] | A declaration of which security mechanisms can be used for this operation. The list of values includes alternative security requirement objects that can be used. Only one of the security requirement objects need to be satisfied to authorize a request. This definition overrides any declared top-level security . To remove a top-level security declaration, an empty array can be used. |
servers | [Server Object] | An alternative server array to service this operation. If an alternative server object is specified at the Path Item Object or Root level, it will be overridden by this value. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "tags": [ "pet" ], "summary": "Updates a pet in the store with form data", "operationId": "updatePetWithForm", "parameters": [ { "name": "petId", "in": "path", "description": "ID of pet that needs to be updated", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" } } ], "requestBody": { "content": { "application/x-www-form-urlencoded": { "schema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "name": { "description": "Updated name of the pet", "type": "string" }, "status": { "description": "Updated status of the pet", "type": "string" } }, "required": ["status"] } } } }, "responses": { "200": { "description": "Pet updated.", "content": { "application/json": {}, "application/xml": {} } }, "405": { "description": "Invalid input", "content": { "application/json": {}, "application/xml": {} } } }, "security": [ { "petstore_auth": [ "write:pets", "read:pets" ] } ] }
tags: - pet summary: Updates a pet in the store with form data operationId: updatePetWithForm parameters: - name: petId in: path description: ID of pet that needs to be updated required: true schema: type: string requestBody: content: 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded': schema: properties: name: description: Updated name of the pet type: string status: description: Updated status of the pet type: string required: - status responses: '200': description: Pet updated. content: 'application/json': {} 'application/xml': {} '405': description: Invalid input content: 'application/json': {} 'application/xml': {} security: - petstore_auth: - write:pets - read:pets
Allows referencing an external resource for extended documentation.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
description | string | A short description of the target documentation. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
url | string | REQUIRED. The URL for the target documentation. Value MUST be in the format of a URL. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "description": "Find more info here", "url": "https://example.com" }
description: Find more info here url: https://example.com
Describes a single operation parameter.
A unique parameter is defined by a combination of a name and location.
There are four possible parameter locations specified by the in
field:
/items/{itemId}
, the path parameter is itemId
./items?id=###
, the query parameter is id
.Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
name | string | REQUIRED. The name of the parameter. Parameter names are case sensitive. If in is "path" , the name field MUST correspond to the associated path segment from the path field in the Paths Object. See Path Templating for further information.If in is "header" and the name field is "Accept" , "Content-Type" or "Authorization" , the parameter definition SHALL be ignored.For all other cases, the name corresponds to the parameter name used by the in property. |
in | string | REQUIRED. The location of the parameter. Possible values are “query”, “header”, “path” or “cookie”. |
description | string | A brief description of the parameter. This could contain examples of use. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
required | boolean | Determines whether this parameter is mandatory. If the parameter location is “path”, this property is REQUIRED and its value MUST be true . Otherwise, the property MAY be included and its default value is false . |
deprecated | boolean | Specifies that a parameter is deprecated and SHOULD be transitioned out of usage. |
allowEmptyValue | boolean | Sets the ability to pass empty-valued parameters. This is valid only for query parameters and allows sending a parameter with an empty value. Default value is false . If style is used, and if behavior is n/a (cannot be serialized), the value of allowEmptyValue SHALL be ignored. |
The rules for serialization of the parameter are specified in one of two ways. For simpler scenarios, a schema
and style
can describe the structure and syntax of the parameter.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
style | string | Describes how the parameter value will be serialized depending on the type of the parameter value. Default values (based on value of in ): for query - form ; for path - simple ; for header - simple ; for cookie - form . |
explode | boolean | When this is true, parameter values of type array or object generate separate parameters for each value of the array or key-value pair of the map. For other types of parameters this property has no effect. When style is form , the default value is true . For all other styles, the default value is false . |
allowReserved | boolean | Determines whether the parameter value SHOULD allow reserved characters, as defined by RFC3986 :/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;= to be included without percent-encoding. This property only applies to parameters with an in value of query . The default value is false . |
schema | Schema Object | Reference Object | The schema defining the type used for the parameter. |
example | Any | Example of the media type. The example SHOULD match the specified schema and encoding properties if present. The example object is mutually exclusive of the examples object. Furthermore, if referencing a schema which contains an example, the example value SHALL override the example provided by the schema. To represent examples of media types that cannot naturally be represented in JSON or YAML, a string value can contain the example with escaping where necessary. |
examples | Map[ string , Example Object | Reference Object] | Examples of the media type. Each example SHOULD contain a value in the correct format as specified in the parameter encoding. The examples object is mutually exclusive of the example object. Furthermore, if referencing a schema which contains an example, the examples value SHALL override the example provided by the schema. |
For more complex scenarios, the content
property can define the media type and schema of the parameter. A parameter MUST contain either a schema
property, or a content
property, but not both. When example
or examples
are provided in conjunction with the schema
object, the example MUST follow the prescribed serialization strategy for the parameter.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
content | Map[string , Media Type Object] | A map containing the representations for the parameter. The key is the media type and the value describes it. The map MUST only contain one entry. |
In order to support common ways of serializing simple parameters, a set of style
values are defined.
style | type | in | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
matrix | primitive , array , object | path | Path-style parameters defined by RFC6570 |
label | primitive , array , object | path | Label style parameters defined by RFC6570 |
form | primitive , array , object | query , cookie | Form style parameters defined by RFC6570. This option replaces collectionFormat with a csv (when explode is false) or multi (when explode is true) value from OpenAPI 2.0. |
simple | array | path , header | Simple style parameters defined by RFC6570. This option replaces collectionFormat with a csv value from OpenAPI 2.0. |
spaceDelimited | array | query | Space separated array values. This option replaces collectionFormat equal to ssv from OpenAPI 2.0. |
pipeDelimited | array | query | Pipe separated array values. This option replaces collectionFormat equal to pipes from OpenAPI 2.0. |
deepObject | object | query | Provides a simple way of rendering nested objects using form parameters. |
Assume a parameter named color
has one of the following values:
string -> "blue" array -> ["blue","black","brown"] object -> { "R": 100, "G": 200, "B": 150 }
The following table shows examples of rendering differences for each value.
style | explode | empty | string | array | object |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
matrix | false | ;color | ;color=blue | ;color=blue,black,brown | ;color=R,100,G,200,B,150 |
matrix | true | ;color | ;color=blue | ;color=blue;color=black;color=brown | ;R=100;G=200;B=150 |
label | false | . | .blue | .blue.black.brown | .R.100.G.200.B.150 |
label | true | . | .blue | .blue.black.brown | .R=100.G=200.B=150 |
form | false | color= | color=blue | color=blue,black,brown | color=R,100,G,200,B,150 |
form | true | color= | color=blue | color=blue&color=black&color=brown | R=100&G=200&B=150 |
simple | false | n/a | blue | blue,black,brown | R,100,G,200,B,150 |
simple | true | n/a | blue | blue,black,brown | R=100,G=200,B=150 |
spaceDelimited | false | n/a | n/a | blue%20black%20brown | R%20100%20G%20200%20B%20150 |
pipeDelimited | false | n/a | n/a | blue|black|brown | R|100|G|200 |
deepObject | true | n/a | n/a | n/a | color[R]=100&color[G]=200&color[B]=150 |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
A header parameter with an array of 64 bit integer numbers:
{ "name": "token", "in": "header", "description": "token to be passed as a header", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "integer", "format": "int64" } }, "style": "simple" }
name: token in: header description: token to be passed as a header required: true schema: type: array items: type: integer format: int64 style: simple
A path parameter of a string value:
{ "name": "username", "in": "path", "description": "username to fetch", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" } }
name: username in: path description: username to fetch required: true schema: type: string
An optional query parameter of a string value, allowing multiple values by repeating the query parameter:
{ "name": "id", "in": "query", "description": "ID of the object to fetch", "required": false, "schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "style": "form", "explode": true }
name: id in: query description: ID of the object to fetch required: false schema: type: array items: type: string style: form explode: true
A free-form query parameter, allowing undefined parameters of a specific type:
{ "in": "query", "name": "freeForm", "schema": { "type": "object", "additionalProperties": { "type": "integer" }, }, "style": "form" }
in: query name: freeForm schema: type: object additionalProperties: type: integer style: form
A complex parameter using content
to define serialization:
{ "in": "query", "name": "coordinates", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "lat", "long" ], "properties": { "lat": { "type": "number" }, "long": { "type": "number" } } } } } }
in: query name: coordinates content: application/json: schema: type: object required: - lat - long properties: lat: type: number long: type: number
Describes a single request body.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
description | string | A brief description of the request body. This could contain examples of use. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
content | Map[string , Media Type Object] | REQUIRED. The content of the request body. The key is a media type or media type range and the value describes it. For requests that match multiple keys, only the most specific key is applicable. e.g. text/plain overrides text/* |
required | boolean | Determines if the request body is required in the request. Defaults to false . |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
A request body with a referenced model definition.
{ "description": "user to add to the system", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/User" }, "examples": { "user" : { "summary": "User Example", "externalValue": "http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.json" } } }, "application/xml": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/User" }, "examples": { "user" : { "summary": "User example in XML", "externalValue": "http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.xml" } } }, "text/plain": { "examples": { "user" : { "summary": "User example in Plain text", "externalValue": "http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.txt" } } }, "*/*": { "examples": { "user" : { "summary": "User example in other format", "externalValue": "http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.whatever" } } } } }
description: user to add to the system content: 'application/json': schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/User' examples: user: summary: User Example externalValue: 'http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.json' 'application/xml': schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/User' examples: user: summary: User Example in XML externalValue: 'http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.xml' 'text/plain': examples: user: summary: User example in text plain format externalValue: 'http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.txt' '*/*': examples: user: summary: User example in other format externalValue: 'http://foo.bar/examples/user-example.whatever'
A body parameter that is an array of string values:
{ "description": "user to add to the system", "content": { "text/plain": { "schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" } } } } }
description: user to add to the system required: true content: text/plain: schema: type: array items: type: string
Each Media Type Object provides schema and examples for the media type identified by its key.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
schema | Schema Object | Reference Object | The schema defining the type used for the request body. |
example | Any | Example of the media type. The example object SHOULD be in the correct format as specified by the media type. The example object is mutually exclusive of the examples object. Furthermore, if referencing a schema which contains an example, the example value SHALL override the example provided by the schema. |
examples | Map[ string , Example Object | Reference Object] | Examples of the media type. Each example object SHOULD match the media type and specified schema if present. The examples object is mutually exclusive of the example object. Furthermore, if referencing a schema which contains an example, the examples value SHALL override the example provided by the schema. |
encoding | Map[string , Encoding Object] | A map between a property name and its encoding information. The key, being the property name, MUST exist in the schema as a property. The encoding object SHALL only apply to requestBody objects when the media type is multipart or application/x-www-form-urlencoded . |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Pet" }, "examples": { "cat" : { "summary": "An example of a cat", "value": { "name": "Fluffy", "petType": "Cat", "color": "White", "gender": "male", "breed": "Persian" } }, "dog": { "summary": "An example of a dog with a cat's name", "value" : { "name": "Puma", "petType": "Dog", "color": "Black", "gender": "Female", "breed": "Mixed" }, "frog": { "$ref": "#/components/examples/frog-example" } } } } }
application/json: schema: $ref: "#/components/schemas/Pet" examples: cat: summary: An example of a cat value: name: Fluffy petType: Cat color: White gender: male breed: Persian dog: summary: An example of a dog with a cat's name value: name: Puma petType: Dog color: Black gender: Female breed: Mixed frog: $ref: "#/components/examples/frog-example"
In contrast with the 2.0 specification, file
input/output content in OpenAPI is described with the same semantics as any other schema type. Specifically:
# content transferred with base64 encoding schema: type: string format: base64
# content transferred in binary (octet-stream): schema: type: string format: binary
These examples apply to either input payloads of file uploads or response payloads.
A requestBody
for submitting a file in a POST
operation may look like the following example:
requestBody: content: application/octet-stream: # any media type is accepted, functionally equivalent to `*/*` schema: # a binary file of any type type: string format: binary
In addition, specific media types MAY be specified:
# multiple, specific media types may be specified: requestBody: content: # a binary file of type png or jpeg 'image/jpeg': schema: type: string format: binary 'image/png': schema: type: string format: binary
To upload multiple files, a multipart
media type MUST be used:
requestBody: content: multipart/form-data: schema: properties: # The property name 'file' will be used for all files. file: type: array items: type: string format: binary
To submit content using form url encoding via RFC1866, the following definition may be used:
requestBody: content: application/x-www-form-urlencoded: schema: type: object properties: id: type: string format: uuid address: # complex types are stringified to support RFC 1866 type: object properties: {}
In this example, the contents in the requestBody
MUST be stringified per RFC1866 when passed to the server. In addition, the address
field complex object will be stringified.
When passing complex objects in the application/x-www-form-urlencoded
content type, the default serialization strategy of such properties is described in the Encoding Object
's style
property as form
.
multipart
ContentIt is common to use multipart/form-data
as a Content-Type
when transferring request bodies to operations. In contrast to 2.0, a schema
is REQUIRED to define the input parameters to the operation when using multipart
content. This supports complex structures as well as supporting mechanisms for multiple file uploads.
When passing in multipart
types, boundaries MAY be used to separate sections of the content being transferred — thus, the following default Content-Type
s are defined for multipart
:
text/plain
application/json
type: string
with format: binary
or format: base64
(aka a file object), the default Content-Type is application/octet-stream
Examples:
requestBody: content: multipart/form-data: schema: type: object properties: id: type: string format: uuid address: # default Content-Type for objects is `application/json` type: object properties: {} profileImage: # default Content-Type for string/binary is `application/octet-stream` type: string format: binary children: # default Content-Type for arrays is based on the `inner` type (text/plain here) type: array items: type: string addresses: # default Content-Type for arrays is based on the `inner` type (object shown, so `application/json` in this example) type: array items: type: '#/components/schemas/Address'
An encoding
attribute is introduced to give you control over the serialization of parts of multipart
request bodies. This attribute is only applicable to multipart
and application/x-www-form-urlencoded
request bodies.
A single encoding definition applied to a single schema property.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
contentType | string | The Content-Type for encoding a specific property. Default value depends on the property type: for string with format being binary – application/octet-stream ; for other primitive types – text/plain ; for object - application/json ; for array – the default is defined based on the inner type. The value can be a specific media type (e.g. application/json ), a wildcard media type (e.g. image/* ), or a comma-separated list of the two types. |
headers | Map[string , Header Object | Reference Object] | A map allowing additional information to be provided as headers, for example Content-Disposition . Content-Type is described separately and SHALL be ignored in this section. This property SHALL be ignored if the request body media type is not a multipart . |
style | string | Describes how a specific property value will be serialized depending on its type. See Parameter Object for details on the style property. The behavior follows the same values as query parameters, including default values. This property SHALL be ignored if the request body media type is not application/x-www-form-urlencoded . |
explode | boolean | When this is true, property values of type array or object generate separate parameters for each value of the array, or key-value-pair of the map. For other types of properties this property has no effect. When style is form , the default value is true . For all other styles, the default value is false . This property SHALL be ignored if the request body media type is not application/x-www-form-urlencoded . |
allowReserved | boolean | Determines whether the parameter value SHOULD allow reserved characters, as defined by RFC3986 :/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;= to be included without percent-encoding. The default value is false . This property SHALL be ignored if the request body media type is not application/x-www-form-urlencoded . |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
requestBody: content: multipart/mixed: schema: type: object properties: id: # default is text/plain type: string format: uuid address: # default is application/json type: object properties: {} historyMetadata: # need to declare XML format! description: metadata in XML format type: object properties: {} profileImage: # default is application/octet-stream, need to declare an image type only! type: string format: binary encoding: historyMetadata: # require XML Content-Type in utf-8 encoding contentType: application/xml; charset=utf-8 profileImage: # only accept png/jpeg contentType: image/png, image/jpeg headers: X-Rate-Limit-Limit: description: The number of allowed requests in the current period schema: type: integer
A container for the expected responses of an operation. The container maps a HTTP response code to the expected response.
The documentation is not necessarily expected to cover all possible HTTP response codes because they may not be known in advance. However, documentation is expected to cover a successful operation response and any known errors.
The default
MAY be used as a default response object for all HTTP codes that are not covered individually by the specification.
The Responses Object
MUST contain at least one response code, and it SHOULD be the response for a successful operation call.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
default | Response Object | Reference Object | The documentation of responses other than the ones declared for specific HTTP response codes. Use this field to cover undeclared responses. A Reference Object can link to a response that the OpenAPI Object's components/responses section defines. |
Field Pattern | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
HTTP Status Code | Response Object | Reference Object | Any HTTP status code can be used as the property name, but only one property per code, to describe the expected response for that HTTP status code. A Reference Object can link to a response that is defined in the OpenAPI Object's components/responses section. This field MUST be enclosed in quotation marks (for example, “200”) for compatibility between JSON and YAML. To define a range of response codes, this field MAY contain the uppercase wildcard character X . For example, 2XX represents all response codes between [200-299] . The following range definitions are allowed: 1XX , 2XX , 3XX , 4XX , and 5XX . If a response range is defined using an explicit code, the explicit code definition takes precedence over the range definition for that code. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
A 200 response for a successful operation and a default response for others (implying an error):
{ "200": { "description": "a pet to be returned", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Pet" } } } }, "default": { "description": "Unexpected error", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/ErrorModel" } } } } }
'200': description: a pet to be returned content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet' default: description: Unexpected error content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorModel'
Describes a single response from an API Operation, including design-time, static links
to operations based on the response.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
description | string | REQUIRED. A short description of the response. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
headers | Map[string , Header Object | Reference Object] | Maps a header name to its definition. RFC7230 states header names are case insensitive. If a response header is defined with the name "Content-Type" , it SHALL be ignored. |
content | Map[string , Media Type Object] | A map containing descriptions of potential response payloads. The key is a media type or media type range and the value describes it. For responses that match multiple keys, only the most specific key is applicable. e.g. text/plain overrides text/* |
links | Map[string , Link Object | Reference Object] | A map of operations links that can be followed from the response. The key of the map is a short name for the link, following the naming constraints of the names for Component Objects. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
Response of an array of a complex type:
{ "description": "A complex object array response", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/VeryComplexType" } } } } }
description: A complex object array response content: application/json: schema: type: array items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/VeryComplexType'
Response with a string type:
{ "description": "A simple string response", "content": { "text/plain": { "schema": { "type": "string" } } } }
description: A simple string response representations: text/plain: schema: type: string
Plain text response with headers:
{ "description": "A simple string response", "content": { "text/plain": { "schema": { "type": "string" } } }, "headers": { "X-Rate-Limit-Limit": { "description": "The number of allowed requests in the current period", "schema": { "type": "integer" } }, "X-Rate-Limit-Remaining": { "description": "The number of remaining requests in the current period", "schema": { "type": "integer" } }, "X-Rate-Limit-Reset": { "description": "The number of seconds left in the current period", "schema": { "type": "integer" } } } }
description: A simple string response content: text/plain: schema: type: string example: 'whoa!' headers: X-Rate-Limit-Limit: description: The number of allowed requests in the current period schema: type: integer X-Rate-Limit-Remaining: description: The number of remaining requests in the current period schema: type: integer X-Rate-Limit-Reset: description: The number of seconds left in the current period schema: type: integer
Response with no return value:
{ "description": "object created" }
description: object created
A map of possible out-of band callbacks related to the parent operation. Each value in the map is a Path Item Object that describes a set of requests that may be initiated by the API provider and the expected responses. The key value used to identify the callback object is an expression, evaluated at runtime, that identifies a URL to use for the callback operation.
Field Pattern | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
{expression} | Path Item Object | A Path Item Object used to define a callback request and expected responses. A complete example is available. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
The key that identifies the Path Item Object is a runtime expression that can be evaluated in the context of a runtime HTTP request/response to identify the URL to be used for the callback request. A simple example might be $request.body#/url
. However, using a runtime expression the complete HTTP message can be accessed. This includes accessing any part of a body that a JSON Pointer RFC6901 can reference.
For example, given the following HTTP request:
POST /subscribe/myevent?queryUrl=http://clientdomain.com/stillrunning HTTP/1.1 Host: example.org Content-Type: application/json Content-Length: 187 { "failedUrl" : "http://clientdomain.com/failed", "successUrls" : [ "http://clientdomain.com/fast", "http://clientdomain.com/medium", "http://clientdomain.com/slow" ] } 201 Created Location: http://example.org/subscription/1
The following examples show how the various expressions evaluate, assuming the callback operation has a path parameter named eventType
and a query parameter named queryUrl
.
Expression | Value |
---|---|
$url | http://example.org/subscribe/myevent?queryUrl=http://clientdomain.com/stillrunning |
$method | POST |
$request.path.eventType | myevent |
$request.query.queryUrl | http://clientdomain.com/stillrunning |
$request.header.content-Type | application/json |
$request.body#/failedUrl | http://clientdomain.com/stillrunning |
$request.body#/successUrls/2 | http://clientdomain.com/medium |
$response.header.Location | http://example.org/subscription/1 |
The following example shows a callback to the URL specified by the id
and email
property in the request body.
myWebhook: 'http://notificationServer.com?transactionId={$request.body#/id}&email={$request.body#/email}': post: requestBody: description: Callback payload content: 'application/json': schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/SomePayload' responses: '200': description: webhook successfully processed and no retries will be performed
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
summary | string | Short description for the example. |
description | string | Long description for the example. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
value | Any | Embedded literal example. The value field and externalValue field are mutually exclusive. To represent examples of media types that cannot naturally represented in JSON or YAML, use a string value to contain the example, escaping where necessary. |
externalValue | string | A URL that points to the literal example. This provides the capability to reference examples that cannot easily be included in JSON or YAML documents. The value field and externalValue field are mutually exclusive. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
In all cases, the example value is expected to be compatible with the type schema of its associated value. Tooling implementations MAY choose to validate compatibility automatically, and reject the example value(s) if incompatible.
# in a model schemas: properties: name: type: string examples: name: $ref: http://example.org/petapi-examples/openapi.json#/components/examples/name-example # in a request body: requestBody: content: 'application/json': schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Address' examples: foo: summary: A foo example value: {"foo": "bar"} bar: summary: A bar example value: {"bar": "baz"} 'application/xml': examples: xmlExample: summary: This is an example in XML externalValue: 'http://example.org/examples/address-example.xml' 'text/plain': examples: textExample: summary: This is a text example externalValue: 'http://foo.bar/examples/address-example.txt' # in a parameter parameters: - name: 'zipCode' in: 'query' schema: type: 'string' format: 'zip-code' examples: zip-example: $ref: '#/components/examples/zip-example' # in a response responses: '200': description: your car appointment has been booked content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/SuccessResponse' examples: confirmation-success: $ref: '#/components/examples/confirmation-success'
The Link object
represents a possible design-time link for a response. The presence of a link does not guarantee the caller's ability to successfully invoke it, rather it provides a known relationship and traversal mechanism between responses and other operations.
Unlike dynamic links (i.e. links provided in the response payload), the OAS linking mechanism does not require link information in the runtime response.
For computing links, and providing instructions to execute them, a runtime expression is used for accessing values in an operation and using them as parameters while invoking the linked operation.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
operationRef | string | A relative or absolute reference to an OAS operation. This field is mutually exclusive of the operationId field, and MUST point to an Operation Object. Relative operationRef values MAY be used to locate an existing Operation Object in the OpenAPI definition. |
operationId | string | The name of an existing, resolvable OAS operation, as defined with a unique operationId . This field is mutually exclusive of the operationRef field. |
parameters | Map[string , Any | {expression}] | A map representing parameters to pass to an operation as specified with operationId or identified via operationRef . The key is the parameter name to be used, whereas the value can be a constant or an expression to be evaluated and passed to the linked operation. The parameter name can be qualified using the parameter location [{in}.]{name} for operations that use the same parameter name in different locations (e.g. path.id). |
requestBody | Any | {expression} | A literal value or {expression} to use as a request body when calling the target operation. |
description | string | A description of the link. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
server | Server Object | A server object to be used by the target operation. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
A linked operation MUST be identified using either an operationRef
or operationId
. In the case of an operationId
, it MUST be unique and resolved in the scope of the OAS document. Because of the potential for name clashes, the operationRef
syntax is preferred for specifications with external references.
Computing a link from a request operation where the $request.path.id
is used to pass a request parameter to the linked operation.
paths: /users/{id}: parameters: - name: id in: path required: true description: the user identifier, as userId schema: type: string get: responses: '200': description: the user being returned content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: uuid: # the unique user id type: string format: uuid links: address: # the target link operationId operationId: getUserAddress parameters: # get the `id` field from the request path parameter named `id` userId: $request.path.id # the path item of the linked operation /users/{userid}/address: parameters: - name: userid in: path required: true description: the user identifier, as userId schema: type: string # linked operation get: operationId: getUserAddress responses: '200': description: the user's address
When a runtime expression fails to evaluate, no parameter value is passed to the target operation.
Values from the response body can be used to drive a linked operation.
links: address: operationId: getUserAddressByUUID parameters: # get the `id` field from the request path parameter named `id` userUuid: $response.body#/uuid
Clients follow all links at their discretion. Neither permissions, nor the capability to make a successful call to that link, is guaranteed solely by the existence of a relationship.
As references to operationId
MAY NOT be possible (the operationId
is an optional value), references MAY also be made through a relative operationRef
:
links: UserRepositories: # returns array of '#/components/schemas/repository' operationRef: '#/paths/~12.0~1repositories~1{username}/get' parameters: username: $response.body#/username
or an absolute operationRef
:
links: UserRepositories: # returns array of '#/components/schemas/repository' operationRef: 'https://na2.gigantic-server.com/#/paths/~12.0~1repositories~1{username}/get' parameters: username: $response.body#/username
Note that in the use of operationRef
, the escaped forward-slash is necessary when using JSON references.
Runtime expressions allow defining values based on information that will only be available within the HTTP message in an actual API call. This mechanism is used by Link Objects and Callback Objects.
The runtime expression is defined by the following ABNF syntax
expression = ( "$url" | "$method" | "$statusCode" | "$request." source | "$response." source ) source = ( header-reference | query-reference | path-reference | body-reference ) header-reference = "header." token query-reference = "query." name path-reference = "path." name body-reference = "body" ["#" fragment] fragment = a JSON Pointer [RFC 6901](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6901) name = *( char ) char = as per RFC [7159](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7159#section-7) token = as per RFC [7230](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7230#section-3.2.6)
The name
identifier is case-sensitive, whereas token
is not.
The table below provides examples of runtime expressions and examples of their use in a value:
Source Location | example expression | notes |
---|---|---|
HTTP Method | $method | The allowable values for the $method will be those for the HTTP operation. |
Requested media type | $request.header.accept | |
Request parameter | $request.path.id | Request parameters MUST be declared in the parameters section of the parent operation or they cannot be evaluated. This includes request headers. |
Request body property | $request.body#/user/uuid | In operations which accept payloads, references may be made to portions of the requestBody or the entire body. |
Request URL | $url | |
Response value | $response.body#/status | In operations which return payloads, references may be made to portions of the response body or the entire body. |
Response header | $response.header.Server | Single header values only are available |
Runtime expressions preserve the type of the referenced value. Expressions can be embedded into string values by surrounding the expression with {}
curly braces.
The Header Object follows the structure of the Parameter Object with the following changes:
name
MUST NOT be specified, it is given in the corresponding headers
map.in
MUST NOT be specified, it is implicitly in header
.header
(for example, style
).A simple header of type integer
:
{ "description": "The number of allowed requests in the current period", "schema": { "type": "integer" } }
description: The number of allowed requests in the current period schema: type: integer
Adds metadata to a single tag that is used by the Operation Object. It is not mandatory to have a Tag Object per tag defined in the Operation Object instances.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
name | string | REQUIRED. The name of the tag. |
description | string | A short description for the tag. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
externalDocs | External Documentation Object | Additional external documentation for this tag. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "name": "pet", "description": "Pets operations" }
name: pet description: Pets operations
In an example
, a JSON Reference MAY be used, with the explicit restriction that examples having a JSON format with object named $ref
are not allowed. Therefore, that example
, structurally, can be either a string primitive or an object, similar to additionalProperties
.
In all cases, the payload is expected to be compatible with the type schema for the associated value. Tooling implementations MAY choose to validate compatibility automatically, and reject the example value(s) if they are incompatible.
# in a model schemas: properties: name: type: string example: $ref: http://foo.bar#/examples/name-example # in a request body, note the plural `examples` requestBody: content: 'application/json': schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Address' examples: foo: value: {"foo": "bar"} bar: value: {"bar": "baz"} 'application/xml': examples: xml: externalValue: 'http://foo.bar/examples/address-example.xml' 'text/plain': examples: text: externalValue: 'http://foo.bar/examples/address-example.txt' # in a parameter parameters: - name: 'zipCode' in: 'query' schema: type: 'string' format: 'zip-code' example: $ref: 'http://foo.bar#/examples/zip-example' # in a response, note the singular `example`: responses: '200': description: your car appointment has been booked content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/SuccessResponse' example: $ref: http://foo.bar#/examples/address-example.json
A simple object to allow referencing other components in the specification, internally and externally.
The Reference Object is defined by JSON Reference and follows the same structure, behavior and rules.
For this specification, reference resolution is accomplished as defined by the JSON Reference specification and not by the JSON Schema specification.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
$ref | string | REQUIRED. The reference string. |
This object cannot be extended with additional properties and any properties added SHALL be ignored.
{ "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Pet" }
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet'
{ "$ref": "Pet.json" }
$ref: Pet.yaml
{ "$ref": "definitions.json#/Pet" }
$ref: definitions.yaml#/Pet
The Schema Object allows the definition of input and output data types. These types can be objects, but also primitives and arrays. This object is an extended subset of the JSON Schema Specification Wright Draft 00.
For more information about the properties, see JSON Schema Core and JSON Schema Validation. Unless stated otherwise, the property definitions follow the JSON Schema.
The following properties are taken directly from the JSON Schema definition and follow the same specifications:
The following properties are taken from the JSON Schema definition but their definitions were adjusted to the OpenAPI Specification.
items
MUST be present if the type
is array
.type
is string
, then default
can be "foo"
but cannot be 1
.Alternatively, any time a Schema Object can be used, a Reference Object can be used in its place. This allows referencing definitions instead of defining them inline.
Additional properties defined by the JSON Schema specification that are not mentioned here are strictly unsupported.
Other than the JSON Schema subset fields, the following fields MAY be used for further schema documentation:
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
nullable | boolean | Allows sending a null value for the defined schema. Default value is false . |
discriminator | Discriminator Object | Adds support for polymorphism. The discriminator is an object name that is used to differentiate between other schemas which may satisfy the payload description. See Composition and Inheritance for more details. |
readOnly | boolean | Relevant only for Schema "properties" definitions. Declares the property as “read only”. This means that it MAY be sent as part of a response but SHOULD NOT be sent as part of the request. If the property is marked as readOnly being true and is in the required list, the required will take effect on the response only. A property MUST NOT be marked as both readOnly and writeOnly being true . Default value is false . |
writeOnly | boolean | Relevant only for Schema "properties" definitions. Declares the property as “write only”. Therefore, it MAY be sent as part of a request but SHOULD NOT be sent as part of the response. If the property is marked as writeOnly being true and is in the required list, the required will take effect on the request only. A property MUST NOT be marked as both readOnly and writeOnly being true . Default value is false . |
xml | XML Object | This MAY be used only on properties schemas. It has no effect on root schemas. Adds additional metadata to describe the XML representation of this property. |
externalDocs | External Documentation Object | Additional external documentation for this schema. |
example | Any | A free-form property to include an example of an instance for this schema. To represent examples that cannot be naturally represented in JSON or YAML, a string value can be used to contain the example with escaping where necessary. |
deprecated | boolean | Specifies that a schema is deprecated and SHOULD be transitioned out of usage. Default value is false . |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
The OpenAPI Specification allows combining and extending model definitions using the allOf
property of JSON Schema, in effect offering model composition. allOf
takes an array of object definitions that are validated independently but together compose a single object.
While composition offers model extensibility, it does not imply a hierarchy between the models. To support polymorphism, the OpenAPI Specification adds the discriminator
field. When used, the discriminator
will be the name of the property that decides which schema definition validates the structure of the model. As such, the discriminator
field MUST be a required field. There are are two ways to define the value of a discriminator for an inheriting instance.
The xml property allows extra definitions when translating the JSON definition to XML. The XML Object contains additional information about the available options.
{ "type": "string", "format": "email" }
type: string format: email
{ "type": "object", "required": [ "name" ], "properties": { "name": { "type": "string" }, "address": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Address" }, "age": { "type": "integer", "format": "int32", "minimum": 0 } } }
type: object required: - name properties: name: type: string address: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Address' age: type: integer format: int32 minimum: 0
For a simple string to string mapping:
{ "type": "object", "additionalProperties": { "type": "string" } }
type: object additionalProperties: type: string
For a string to model mapping:
{ "type": "object", "additionalProperties": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/ComplexModel" } }
type: object additionalProperties: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ComplexModel'
{ "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "integer", "format": "int64" }, "name": { "type": "string" } }, "required": [ "name" ], "example": { "name": "Puma", "id": 1 } }
type: object properties: id: type: integer format: int64 name: type: string required: - name example: name: Puma id: 1
{ "components": { "schemas": { "ErrorModel": { "type": "object", "required": [ "message", "code" ], "properties": { "message": { "type": "string" }, "code": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 100, "maximum": 600 } } }, "ExtendedErrorModel": { "allOf": [ { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/ErrorModel" }, { "type": "object", "required": [ "rootCause" ], "properties": { "rootCause": { "type": "string" } } } ] } } } }
components: schemas: ErrorModel: type: object required: - message - code properties: message: type: string code: type: integer minimum: 100 maximum: 600 ExtendedErrorModel: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorModel' - type: object required: - rootCause properties: rootCause: type: string
{ "components": { "schemas": { "Pet": { "type": "object", "discriminator": { "propertyName": "petType" }, "properties": { "name": { "type": "string" }, "petType": { "type": "string" } }, "required": [ "name", "petType" ] }, "Cat": { "description": "A representation of a cat. Note that `Cat` will be used as the discriminator value.", "allOf": [ { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Pet" }, { "type": "object", "properties": { "huntingSkill": { "type": "string", "description": "The measured skill for hunting", "default": "lazy", "enum": [ "clueless", "lazy", "adventurous", "aggressive" ] } }, "required": [ "huntingSkill" ] } ] }, "Dog": { "description": "A representation of a dog. Note that `Dog` will be used as the discriminator value.", "allOf": [ { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Pet" }, { "type": "object", "properties": { "packSize": { "type": "integer", "format": "int32", "description": "the size of the pack the dog is from", "default": 0, "minimum": 0 } }, "required": [ "packSize" ] } ] } } } }
components: schemas: Pet: type: object discriminator: propertyName: petType properties: name: type: string petType: type: string required: - name - petType Cat: ## "Cat" will be used as the discriminator value description: A representation of a cat allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet' - type: object properties: huntingSkill: type: string description: The measured skill for hunting enum: - clueless - lazy - adventurous - aggressive required: - huntingSkill Dog: ## "Dog" will be used as the discriminator value description: A representation of a dog allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet' - type: object properties: packSize: type: integer format: int32 description: the size of the pack the dog is from default: 0 minimum: 0 required: - packSize
When request bodies or response payloads may be one of a number of different schemas, a discriminator
object can be used to aid in serialization, deserialization, and validation. The discriminator is a specific object in a schema which is used to inform the consumer of the specification of an alternative schema based on the value associated with it.
When using the discriminator, inline schemas will not be considered.
The discriminator attribute is legal only when using one of the composite keywords oneOf
, anyOf
, allOf
.
In OAS 3.0, a response payload MAY be described to be exactly one of any number of types:
MyResponseType: oneOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Cat' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Dog' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Lizard'
which means the payload MUST, by validation, match exactly one of the schemas described by Cat
, Dog
, or Lizard
. In this case, a discriminator MAY act as a “hint” to shortcut validation and selection of the matching schema which may be a costly operation, depending on the complexity of the schema. We can then describe exactly which field tells us which schema to use:
MyResponseType: oneOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Cat' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Dog' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Lizard' discriminator: propertyName: pet_type
The expectation now is that a property with name pet_type
MUST be present in the response payload, and the value will correspond to the name of a schema defined in the OAS document. Thus the response payload:
{ "id": 12345, "pet_type": "Cat" }
Will indicate that the Cat
schema be used in conjunction with this payload.
In scenarios where the value of the discriminator field does not match the schema name or implicit mapping is not possible, an optional mapping
definition MAY be used:
MyResponseType: oneOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Cat' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Dog' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Lizard' - $ref: 'https://gigantic-server.com/schemas/Monster/schema.json' discriminator: propertyName: pet_type mapping: dog: '#/components/schemas/Dog' monster: 'https://gigantic-server.com/schemas/Monster/schema.json'
Here the discriminator value of dog
will map to the schema #/components/schemas/Dog
, rather than the default (implicit) value of Dog
. If the discriminator value does not match an implicit or explicit mapping, no schema can be determined and validation SHOULD fail. Mapping keys MUST be string values, but tooling MAY convert response values to strings for comparison.
When used in conjunction with the anyOf
construct, the use of the discriminator can avoid ambiguity where multiple schemas may satisfy a single payload.
In both the oneOf
and anyOf
use cases, all possible schemas MUST be listed explicitly. To avoid redundancy, the discriminator MAY be added to a parent schema definition, and all schemas comprising the parent schema in an allOf
construct may be used as an alternate schema.
For example:
components: schemas: Pet: type: object required: - pet_type properties: pet_type: type: string discriminator: propertyName: pet_type mapping: cachorro: Dog Cat: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet' - type: object # all other properties specific to a `Cat` properties: name: type: string Dog: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet' - type: object # all other properties specific to a `Dog` properties: bark: type: string Lizard: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet' - type: object # all other properties specific to a `Lizard` properties: lovesRocks: type: boolean
a payload like this:
{ "pet_type": "Cat", "name": "misty" }
will indicate that the Cat
schema be used. Likewise this schema:
{ "pet_type": "cachorro", "bark": "soft" }
will map to Dog
because of the definition in the mappings
element.
A metadata object that allows for more fine-tuned XML model definitions.
When using arrays, XML element names are not inferred (for singular/plural forms) and the name
property SHOULD be used to add that information. See examples for expected behavior.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
name | string | Replaces the name of the element/attribute used for the described schema property. When defined within items , it will affect the name of the individual XML elements within the list. When defined alongside type being array (outside the items ), it will affect the wrapping element and only if wrapped is true . If wrapped is false , it will be ignored. |
namespace | string | The URI of the namespace definition. Value MUST be in the form of an absolute URI. |
prefix | string | The prefix to be used for the name. |
attribute | boolean | Declares whether the property definition translates to an attribute instead of an element. Default value is false . |
wrapped | boolean | MAY be used only for an array definition. Signifies whether the array is wrapped (for example, <books><book/><book/></books> ) or unwrapped (<book/><book/> ). Default value is false . The definition takes effect only when defined alongside type being array (outside the items ). |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
The examples of the XML object definitions are included inside a property definition of a Schema Object with a sample of the XML representation of it.
Basic string property:
{ "animals": { "type": "string" } }
animals: type: string
<animals>...</animals>
Basic string array property (wrapped
is false
by default):
{ "animals": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" } } }
animals: type: array items: type: string
<animals>...</animals> <animals>...</animals> <animals>...</animals>
{ "animals": { "type": "string", "xml": { "name": "animal" } } }
animals: type: string xml: name: animal
<animal>...</animal>
In this example, a full model definition is shown.
{ "Person": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "integer", "format": "int32", "xml": { "attribute": true } }, "name": { "type": "string", "xml": { "namespace": "http://example.com/schema/sample", "prefix": "sample" } } } } }
Person: type: object properties: id: type: integer format: int32 xml: attribute: true name: type: string xml: namespace: http://example.com/schema/sample prefix: sample
<Person id="123"> <sample:name xmlns:sample="http://example.com/schema/sample">example</sample:name> </Person>
Changing the element names:
{ "animals": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string", "xml": { "name": "animal" } } } }
animals: type: array items: type: string xml: name: animal
<animal>value</animal> <animal>value</animal>
The external name
property has no effect on the XML:
{ "animals": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string", "xml": { "name": "animal" } }, "xml": { "name": "aliens" } } }
animals: type: array items: type: string xml: name: animal xml: name: aliens
<animal>value</animal> <animal>value</animal>
Even when the array is wrapped, if a name is not explicitly defined, the same name will be used both internally and externally:
{ "animals": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" }, "xml": { "wrapped": true } } }
animals: type: array items: type: string xml: wrapped: true
<animals> <animals>value</animals> <animals>value</animals> </animals>
To overcome the naming problem in the example above, the following definition can be used:
{ "animals": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string", "xml": { "name": "animal" } }, "xml": { "wrapped": true } } }
animals: type: array items: type: string xml: name: animal xml: wrapped: true
<animals> <animal>value</animal> <animal>value</animal> </animals>
Affecting both internal and external names:
{ "animals": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string", "xml": { "name": "animal" } }, "xml": { "name": "aliens", "wrapped": true } } }
animals: type: array items: type: string xml: name: animal xml: name: aliens wrapped: true
<aliens> <animal>value</animal> <animal>value</animal> </aliens>
If we change the external element but not the internal ones:
{ "animals": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" }, "xml": { "name": "aliens", "wrapped": true } } }
animals: type: array items: type: string xml: name: aliens wrapped: true
<aliens> <aliens>value</aliens> <aliens>value</aliens> </aliens>
Defines a security scheme that can be used by the operations. Supported schemes are HTTP authentication, an API key (either as a header or as a query parameter), OAuth2's common flows (implicit, password, application and access code) as defined in RFC6749, and OpenID Connect Discovery.
Field Name | Type | Applies To | Description |
---|---|---|---|
type | string | Any | REQUIRED. The type of the security scheme. Valid values are "apiKey" , "http" , "oauth2" , "openIdConnect" . |
description | string | Any | A short description for security scheme. CommonMark syntax MAY be used for rich text representation. |
name | string | apiKey | REQUIRED. The name of the header, query or cookie parameter to be used. |
in | string | apiKey | REQUIRED. The location of the API key. Valid values are "query" , "header" or "cookie" . |
scheme | string | http | REQUIRED. The name of the HTTP Authorization scheme to be used in the Authorization header as defined in RFC7235. |
bearerFormat | string | http ("bearer" ) | A hint to the client to identify how the bearer token is formatted. Bearer tokens are usually generated by an authorization server, so this information is primarily for documentation purposes. |
flows | OAuth Flows Object | oauth2 | REQUIRED. An object containing configuration information for the flow types supported. |
openIdConnectUrl | string | openIdConnect | REQUIRED. OpenId Connect URL to discover OAuth2 configuration values. This MUST be in the form of a URL. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "type": "http", "scheme": "basic" }
type: http scheme: basic
{ "type": "apiKey", "name": "api_key", "in": "header" }
type: apiKey name: api_key in: header
{ "type": "http", "scheme": "bearer", "bearerFormat": "JWT", }
type: http scheme: bearer bearerFormat: JWT
{ "type": "oauth2", "flows": { "implicit": { "authorizationUrl": "https://example.com/api/oauth/dialog", "scopes": { "write:pets": "modify pets in your account", "read:pets": "read your pets" } } } }
type: oauth2 flows: implicit: authorizationUrl: https://example.com/api/oauth/dialog scopes: write:pets: modify pets in your account read:pets: read your pets
Allows configuration of the supported OAuth Flows.
Field Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
implicit | OAuth Flow Object | Configuration for the OAuth Implicit flow |
password | OAuth Flow Object | Configuration for the OAuth Resource Owner Password flow |
clientCredentials | OAuth Flow Object | Configuration for the OAuth Client Credentials flow. Previously called application in OpenAPI 2.0. |
authorizationCode | OAuth Flow Object | Configuration for the OAuth Authorization Code flow. Previously called accessCode in OpenAPI 2.0. |
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
Configuration details for a supported OAuth Flow
This object MAY be extended with Specification Extensions.
{ "type": "oauth2", "flows": { "implicit": { "authorizationUrl": "https://example.com/api/oauth/dialog", "scopes": { "write:pets": "modify pets in your account", "read:pets": "read your pets" } }, "authorizationCode": { "authorizationUrl": "https://example.com/api/oauth/dialog", "tokenUrl": "https://example.com/api/oauth/token", "scopes": { "write:pets": "modify pets in your account", "read:pets": "read your pets" } } } }
type: oauth2 flows: implicit: authorizationUrl: https://example.com/api/oauth/dialog scopes: write:pets: modify pets in your account read:pets: read your pets authorizationCode: authorizationUrl: https://example.com/api/oauth/dialog tokenUrl: https://example.com/api/oauth/token scopes: write:pets: modify pets in your account read:pets: read your pets
Lists the required security schemes to execute this operation. The name used for each property MUST correspond to a security scheme declared in the Security Schemes under the Components Object.
Security Requirement Objects that contain multiple schemes require that all schemes MUST be satisfied for a request to be authorized. This enables support for scenarios where multiple query parameters or HTTP headers are required to convey security information.
When a list of Security Requirement Objects is defined on the Open API object or Operation Object, only one of Security Requirement Objects in the list needs to be satisfied to authorize the request.
Field Pattern | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
{name} | [string ] | Each name MUST correspond to a security scheme which is declared in the Security Schemes under the Components Object. If the security scheme is of type "oauth2" or "openIdConnect" , then the value is a list of scope names required for the execution. For other security scheme types, the array MUST be empty. |
{ "api_key": [] }
api_key: []
{ "petstore_auth": [ "write:pets", "read:pets" ] }
petstore_auth: - write:pets - read:pets
While the OpenAPI Specification tries to accommodate most use cases, additional data can be added to extend the specification at certain points.
The extensions properties are implemented as patterned fields that are always prefixed by "x-"
.
The extensions may or may not be supported by the available tooling, but those may be extended as well to add requested support (if tools are internal or open-sourced).
Some objects in the OpenAPI Specification MAY be declared and remain empty, or be completely removed, even though they are inherently the core of the API documentation.
The reasoning is to allow an additional layer of access control over the documentation. While not part of the specification itself, certain libraries MAY choose to allow access to parts of the documentation based on some form of authentication/authorization.
Two examples of this:
Version | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
3.0.0 | 2017-07-26 | Release of the OpenAPI Specification 3.0.0 |
3.0.0-rc2 | 2017-06-16 | rc2 of the 3.0 specification |
3.0.0-rc1 | 2017-04-27 | rc1 of the 3.0 specification |
3.0.0-rc0 | 2017-02-28 | Implementer's Draft of the 3.0 specification |
2.0 | 2015-12-31 | Donation of Swagger 2.0 to the Open API Initiative |
2.0 | 2014-09-08 | Release of Swagger 2.0 |
1.2 | 2014-03-14 | Initial release of the formal document. |
1.1 | 2012-08-22 | Release of Swagger 1.1 |
1.0 | 2011-08-10 | First release of the Swagger Specification |