42 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
42 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
# Working on the Engine API
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The Engine API is an HTTP API used by the command-line client to communicate with the daemon. It can also be used by third-party software to control the daemon.
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It consists of various components in this repository:
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- `api/swagger.yaml` A Swagger definition of the API.
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- `api/types/` Types shared by both the client and server, representing various objects, options, responses, etc. Most are written manually, but some are automatically generated from the Swagger definition. See [#27919](https://github.com/docker/docker/issues/27919) for progress on this.
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- `cli/` The command-line client.
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- `client/` The Go client used by the command-line client. It can also be used by third-party Go programs.
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- `daemon/` The daemon, which serves the API.
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## Swagger definition
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The API is defined by the [Swagger](http://swagger.io/specification/) definition in `api/swagger.yaml`. This definition can be used to:
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1. Automatically generate documentation.
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2. Automatically generate the Go server and client. (A work-in-progress.)
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3. Provide a machine readable version of the API for introspecting what it can do, automatically generating clients for other languages, etc.
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## Updating the API documentation
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The API documentation is generated entirely from `api/swagger.yaml`. If you make updates to the API, edit this file to represent the change in the documentation.
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The file is split into two main sections:
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- `definitions`, which defines re-usable objects used in requests and responses
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- `paths`, which defines the API endpoints (and some inline objects which don't need to be reusable)
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To make an edit, first look for the endpoint you want to edit under `paths`, then make the required edits. Endpoints may reference reusable objects with `$ref`, which can be found in the `definitions` section.
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There is hopefully enough example material in the file for you to copy a similar pattern from elsewhere in the file (e.g. adding new fields or endpoints), but for the full reference, see the [Swagger specification](https://github.com/docker/docker/issues/27919).
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`swagger.yaml` is validated by `hack/validate/swagger` to ensure it is a valid Swagger definition. This is useful when making edits to ensure you are doing the right thing.
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## Viewing the API documentation
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When you make edits to `swagger.yaml`, you may want to check the generated API documentation to ensure it renders correctly.
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Run `make swagger-docs` and a preview will be running at `http://localhost:9000`. Some of the styling may be incorrect, but you'll be able to ensure that it is generating the correct documentation.
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The production documentation is generated by vendoring `swagger.yaml` into [docker/docker.github.io](https://github.com/docker/docker.github.io).
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