This article was originally posted May 21, 2018 here.
VMware Cloud on AWS does a tremendous job at enabling our automation experts, developers, and DevOps teams. With a robust set of RESTful APIs, open-sourced SDKs, then capping it all off with the Developer Center located directly in the Cloud Console, access has never been easier. One of the key features of VMware Cloud on AWS is the more frequent update cadence. This allows us to release enhancements on a more regular basis, of which the Developer Center is also included.
With that said, I am happy to announce some of the latest updates to the Developer Center!
API Explorer Redesign
The API Explorer is one of the easiest ways to start learning, modelling, and even using the VMware Cloud on AWS RESTful APIs. It has received several extremely nice updates! After clicking on the “API Explorer” tab, you’ll notice immediately how the layout has been changed. The new side bar allows us to easily switch between the API namespaces as well as auto-populate parameter fields. These may seem like minor updates, but they really help to streamline its usage.
Let’s take an example: we need to list out the logical networks within a particular SDDC, in this case the “CPBU-TMM” SDDC.
If you’re consuming the REST calls directly through an SDK, REST API client, or a programming language, you will need to perform the following calls to retrieve that information:
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- Obtain the Org ID: GET /orgs
- Obtain the SDDC ID, using the Org ID: GET /orgs/{orgID}/sddcs
- Obtain the logical networks, using both the Org and SDDC IDs: GET /orgs/{orgID}/sddcs/{sddcID}/networks/4.0/sddc/networks
If you’re using the API Explorer, thanks to the new side menu, we can consolidate that down to a single call!
From the above example, you can also see the other new addition in the form of a yellow warning bar. This is just a friendly reminder that the API Explorer is running against your live environment. If you make an API call in the API Explorer, that call will actually run. If you delete something, it really will get deleted! Just keep that in mind as you’re exploring these APIs.
Code Sample Updates
The Code Samples section has also received some updates! This section has been updated to reference the VMware Code Sample Exchange. Therefore, as samples are added to the VMware Code Sample Exchange, those samples will start being populated within the Code Samples tab. We can see several examples which have been created in the example below.
SDK Updates
The last of the updates is to the SDKs section. The layout has been updated to match the look and feel of the other tabs. It’s the same great information, just with a consistent look and feel!
Summary
The VMware Cloud on AWS Developer Center is a great resource which provides a central location to access all kinds of automation and developer based information. The Developer Center is also receiving updates on a regular basis to provide optimized access to all of those resources. The latest update adds a redesigned API Explorer, integrated Code Samples with the VMware Code Sample Exchange, and a consistent theme through all of the available sections.
Let us know in the comments what your favorite feature of the Developer Center is and what functionality you’re most looking forward to us adding!
