Let’s face it, there are definitely a few of us who have a shrine dedicated to Git in the back closet of our basement office. No–Just me? Anyways, if you’re an API developer or designer, chances are your day starts and ends in your repository. Whether you’re pushing new code, reviewing PRs, or tracking down an OpenAPI spec that was last touched three sprints ago, Git is your source of truth. We, here at Ambassador, recognize that you likely want it to remain your source of truth, even when you’re working in another tool like Blackbird.
That’s why we’re excited to announce two powerful new features that bring Git, specifically GitHub to start, and Blackbird even closer together—so you can spend less time on API housekeeping and more time building great software.
#1: API Discovery: GitHub Integration
Out now, the first phase of API discovery in Blackbird combats API sprawl and provides much-needed visibility of your APIs across your development environment. Typically, OpenAPI specs are the backbone of API collaboration, but in fast-moving teams, they can quickly fall out of sync and end up living in separate folders, branches, or worse, someone’s desktop (and it’s usually the guy that just left the company).
With our new GitHub integration, Blackbird can now automatically detect and import OpenAPI specifications from your repositories.
You can easily connect your GitHub account to Blackbird, and we’ll do the rest. In short order, anytime a new spec is committed—or an existing one updated—Blackbird pulls it in automatically. No manual uploads, no forgetting to keep things in sync. The benefits of this are:
- Instant onboarding: Start a new API project and commit a spec—Blackbird picks it up immediately. This helps your new developers onboard quicker with less friction.
- Greater standardization: Your workspace reflects the current state of your repo, not a dusty copy from weeks ago, so that your APIs are always up to date and you have greater consistency across your API ecosystem.
- More discoverability means less sprawl: Design and implementation stay aligned without extra work, and you have full visibility into your repo to know what APIs you have and where.
This is a game-changer for teams who are looking to rein in their API sprawl and practice API-first design. You write the specs, we find them, and keep them up-to-date.
#2 (Coming Soon): Generate OpenAPI Specs from Your Code
Here at Ambassador, we embrace a design and endpoint-first approach. So, even if you’re the *shutters* code-first kind of person, this feature will work well for you. We know that sometimes code comes first, especially when teams are moving fast, working with legacy services, or if you’re just on the smaller and scrappier side (no shame!).
Now, Blackbird can meet you where you are by scanning your GitHub repos and generating OpenAPI specs directly from the implementation. With this feature, available soon, you’ll be able to do the following:
- Document & centralize existing APIs: in seconds, without writing specs from scratch and centralize legacy endpoints that were never fully spec’d out.
- Faster onboarding: With this capability, teams can rapidly onboard existing services into Blackbird, whether they’re cleaning up legacy projects or surfacing undocumented internal APIs.
- Simplified discovery, reduced API sprawl: It accelerates documentation, simplifies discovery, and ensures all services, regardless of their origin, are part of a unified, searchable API catalog. The result? Developers can keep moving fast while still reaping the benefits of collaboration, visibility, and governance.
It’s reverse engineering, but without the laborious process. Now you can simply point Blackbird at your code, and we’ll find the API specs and give you a spec for the API code that you can refine, validate, and collaborate on—all in one place while keeping Git as your source of truth.
Git Is the Source of Truth. Now Blackbird Reflects It.
These two features—spec syncing and spec generation—were built to eliminate friction at both ends of the API lifecycle. If you’re API-first, we keep your specs in sync. If you’re code-first, we help you generate the specs you didn’t have time to write. Either way, Blackbird gives your team a centralized, collaborative, always-accurate home for your APIs. Check out our Docs to learn more, or try it for yourself by logging in.