[PHPForumParis2022] Testing Through OpenAPI, or How to Validate Your Documentation – Stéphane Hulard
Stéphane Hulard, CTO at Chstudio, delivered a compelling session at PHP Forum Paris 2022 on using OpenAPI to validate API documentation. With four years of experience maintaining a PHP-based project, Stéphane shared a practical approach to ensuring documentation aligns with implementation. His talk emphasized the synergy between testing and documentation, offering developers a workflow to enhance collaboration and maintainability in API-driven projects.
The Role of OpenAPI in Documentation
Stéphane introduced OpenAPI as a standardized format for describing APIs, enabling both human-readable documentation and automated testing. He explained how OpenAPI specifications serve as a contract between backend and frontend teams, ensuring consistency. By documenting a single API endpoint, developers can validate its behavior through automated tests, creating a virtuous cycle of reliable documentation and robust code. Stéphane emphasized starting small, documenting one endpoint at a time to build momentum.
Implementing Documentation-Driven Testing
Delving into technical details, Stéphane demonstrated how to integrate OpenAPI with PHP projects, using tools to generate and validate API requests. He shared code examples from Chstudio’s workflow, illustrating how tests derived from OpenAPI specs catch discrepancies early. This approach, akin to Test-Driven Development (TDD), ensures that documentation remains accurate as the codebase evolves. Stéphane highlighted the importance of enriching test suites with edge cases to uncover potential bugs, enhancing overall API reliability.
Enhancing Collaboration Across Teams
Stéphane underscored OpenAPI’s role in fostering collaboration between backend and frontend developers. By defining API contracts upfront, teams can make informed design decisions, reducing miscommunication. He described Chstudio’s experience with a monolithic repository, where OpenAPI facilitated smoother interactions despite the absence of microservices. Stéphane’s approach, which he termed Documentation-Driven Design (DDD), aligns development and documentation efforts, ensuring both are prioritized from the project’s outset.
Encouraging Community Contributions
Concluding, Stéphane invited developers to contribute to open-source OpenAPI tools, emphasizing their accessibility for PHP projects. He encouraged attendees to adopt incremental documentation practices, noting that even partial coverage yields significant benefits. By sharing Chstudio’s workflow, Stéphane inspired developers to integrate OpenAPI into their projects, fostering a culture of disciplined documentation and testing.