A multi-perspective framework for Web API search in enterprise mashup design

Abstract

Enterprise mashups are agile applications which combine enterprise resources with other external applications or web services, by selecting and aggregating Web APIs provided by third parties. In this paper, we provide a framework based on different Web API features to support Web API search and reuse in enterprise mashup design. The framework operates according to a novel perspective, focused on the experience of web designers, who used the Web APIs to develop enterprise mashups. This new perspective is used jointly with other Web API search techniques, relying on classification features, like categories and tags, and technical features, like the Web API protocols and data formats. This enables designers, who as humans learn by examples, to exploit the collective knowledge which is based on past experiences of other designers to find the right Web APIs for a target application. We also present a preliminary evaluation of the framework. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.