Web Services Working Group

The Web Services Working Group is a Production Working Group.

Coordinators & PLT Contact

• The coordinator for this working group is Ashwin Date (mailto:coolbung@gmail.com).
• The PLT Contact for this working group is Chris Davenport (mailto:chris.davenport@joomla.org).

Announcements

• Web Services Working Group update 4 June 2012
• Request for comments on first draft of web API specification
• Request for comments on second draft of web services API specification

External resources

• Thinking outside the platform is a general introduction to the importance of web services in Joomla.
• Recommended reading: Web API Design by Brian Mulloy, Apigee (NOTE: Registration required)
• Stefan Neculai is a GSoC student working on a Web service API. Read about him in the Joomla Magazine.
• Aaron Schmitz has done some work on an OAuth 2.0 library
• Louis Landry has created an OAuth connector. Also take a look at Louis's new router proposal.
• [REST API by Techjoomla for Joomla Separate app approach Presentation | http://www.slideshare.net/coolbung/joomla-rest-api]
• [REST API by Techjoomla for Joomla Separate app approach Github | https://github.com/techjoomla/Joomla-REST-API]
• [com_api approach | https://github.com/techjoomla/com_api]
• [com_api Plugins | https://github.com/techjoomla/com_api-plugins]
• Rafael Corral's web API extension for Joomla 2.5
• Note on current architecture used in Joomla 2.5
• Herman Peeren's presentation at J and Beyond 2010
• API Craft mailing list.
• Proof-of-concept implementation of draft API specification for Joomla 3.x.
• Taking a REST and being HAPI - Chris Davenport's presentation at J and Beyond 2013 - Slides also available from Slideshare
• hal+json specification
• Don't worry be “API” - best practices and implementation - Pierre André Vullioud's Slides of his presentation at J and Beyond 2013
• Test API for Joomla using SlimFramework by pvullioud. For this example only basic tags are supported

Deliverables

Create a POC using com_users by using the extending it to add webservices to Adding, Editing users, Listing users. Added by Parth Lawate as per webservices group discussion at #JWC12

Technical work produced by this group

• 24 Dec 2012: First draft of Request For Comments: A Web Service API for the Joomla CMS
• 10 Feb 2012: Second draft of Web Services API Specification
  • Joomla CMS Web Services API Specification
  • application/vnd.joomla.base.v1 media type specification
  • application/vnd.joomla.service.v1 media type specification
  • application/vnd.joomla.item.v1 media type specification
  • application/vnd.joomla.list.v1 media type specification
  • Joomla CMS Web Service API Implementation
  • Joomla CMS CLI Services API Specification

Communications

Primary communications channel is the Joomla CMS Development mailing list. If the volume of traffic becomes such that it might be deemed to be a nuisance by those not interested in web services, then we will most likely start a separate mailing list.

There is also a Slack chat [1] for informal communications. Please request to be added by contacting Ashwin Date or Chris Davenport. There was also a Skype chat but this is no longer used.

Roadmap

• Initial implementation of a limited set of functions in Joomla 3.2 (September 2013).
• Feature complete implementation in Joomla 3.5 (March 2014).

Meetings

• 19 May 2012: Meeting at J and Beyond 2012, Bad Nauheim, Germany.
• 17 November 2012: Meeting at Joomla World Conference, San Jose, California.
• 31 May - 2 June 2013: Meeting during J and Beyond 2013, Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands.
• 10 November 2013: Meeting during Joomla World Conference, Boston, USA.