1.0 API Design
API design that starts with the contract
Routebase is an API design tool with a visual OpenAPI editor for the whole contract, so endpoints, schemas, and versions get the workflow of code.
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API design usually starts in a YAML file that only one person on the team can read, so reviews happen late and the contract drifts before anyone builds against it. Routebase turns API design into visual work in an OpenAPI editor, so the whole team can shape endpoints, parameters, and schemas without touching the syntax. Every change stays real OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2 underneath, which means you can import the spec you already have and export it again at any time. Spec branches and merge requests give the contract the same review flow as code, while built-in lint rules and breaking-change checks keep every version on your style guide. Because the published spec also drives your mocks, tests, and docs, good API design pays off across the whole lifecycle.
API design without the YAML
Endpoints, parameters, and responses in a structured editor — the spec stays valid OpenAPI underneath.
- Three-panel editor: tree, form, live preview
- Path, query, header, and cookie parameters
- Undo/redo, keyboard shortcuts, auto-save
Model schemas once, reuse everywhere
Nested objects, arrays, enums, and references — with examples generated as you type.
- Visual JSON Schema builder with validation rules
- Reusable components via $ref
- Auto-generated examples per schema
Branch, review, merge
Draft on a spec branch, open a merge request, ship what survives review.
- Spec branches isolate work in progress
- Merge requests with review and approval flow
- Conflict and breaking-change detection before merge
Governance built in
Lint rules keep every spec on your style guide while you design, breaking-change checks classify every version, and blocking a publish is a switch you turn on.
- Built-in style guide rules, with one-click fixes on some of them
- 21 breaking-change rules across versions
- Tag-based endpoint grouping with descriptions
OpenAPI in, OpenAPI out
Import existing specs, export anytime. No lock-in — the spec is yours.
- OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2, YAML or JSON
- Validation against the spec schema on import
- Tag grouping preserved on export
Frequently asked questions
Is Routebase an OpenAPI editor?
Yes. Routebase is a visual OpenAPI editor for API design. You model endpoints, parameters, responses, and JSON Schema components in a three-panel editor with a live preview, and the document underneath stays valid OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2 at every step.
Can I import an existing OpenAPI spec?
Yes. Import OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2 in YAML or JSON, and Routebase validates it against the spec schema on the way in. Export works at any time in the same formats, with tag grouping preserved, so there is no lock-in.
How do teams review API design changes?
Every change happens on a spec branch. You open a merge request, reviewers approve it, and conflict and breaking-change detection run before the merge, so the published contract only moves through review.
Does Routebase enforce an API style guide?
Yes. Built-in lint rules keep every spec on your style guide while you design, breaking-change rules classify every version, and custom rules extend the set for conventions of your own. Blocking a publish on error-level findings is a switch you turn on when the team is ready.
One living spec
The rest of the lifecycle
Every stage below works from the same spec, so a change is made once and published once.
Ready to ship on it?
Routebase is live. Design your API once — docs, mocks, tests, and monitoring all follow from the same source.
14-day Pro trial — no credit card required.