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Status Not under consideration
Workspace z/OS Connect
Created by Guest
Created on May 16, 2023

RELATED IDEAS

Avoid API Request failures when the API request/response structure has non-breaking changes.

Context: We are using z/OS Connect's API requester function to make ReST API calls from COBOL Batch programs. We use the Swagger definition (Open API 2.0) of the API, to build the API requester artifacts (COBOL Copybooks and ARA package) via zconbt toolkit. The API requester flow works fine as expected, when the API request/response is aligned to the Swagger definition used for Build. However, there are times when API Provider need to introduce changes to the API specification, with backward compatibility. For example, the API Provider may introduce new fields in the response or may remove existing fields in the response, which could be optional for some API clients.

Issue: Currently, z/OS Connect fails when the API response is not matching with the Swagger definition (Eg: additional fields) used during the build step (zconbt). However, distributed ReST clients (eg: Java / .NET Applications) will not fail in these cases. So, it is currently a limitation of z/OS Connect based ReST Clients. As we understand this issue has been rectified ONLY in Open API Spec 3.0 with the below RFE. However, we are not ready to migrate to Open API Spec 2.0. Since Open API Spec 2.0 is still supported by z/OS Connect, we would like to fix this issue in Open API Spec 2.0 itself.

 https://ibm-z-software-portal.ideas.ibm.com/ideas/ZCEE-I-436 [ibm-z-software-portal.ideas.ibm.com]

 Impact: It is currently causing tight coupling between API Client (COBOL App) with the API providers. When there is a non-breaking change in API request/response, the Mainframe clients are forced to deploy the COBOL application changes and z/OS Connect changes at the same time of API providers. Our systems will continue to be using Open API Spec 2.0 atleast for another year, as the upgrade to Spec 3.0 has other dependencies and impacts.

 

Request for Enhancement: Avoid API request failures when there are backward compatible API interface changes, while using Open API Spec 2.0 in z/OS Connect. The request here is to introduce a Build-time parameter using which the default behavior of hard-failures can be controlled. Based on this parameter, we would like to direct z/OS Connect (with Open API 2.0) to ignore structural changes of API (eg: skip new fields or skip the unavailability of existing fields), without causing hard failures. Note that for functionally breaking changes, we will have API versioning strategy.

Idea priority High
  • Admin
    Nina Mirski-Fitton
    Reply
    |     Jun 12, 2023

    Thank you for raising this Idea for OpenAPI 2. Based on our current plans and priorities for IBM z/OS Connect, it is not likely that this could be implemented in the next 12 months. Correspondingly this requirement is being declined at this point.

    The requirement will be kept in the IDEAs system and might be reassessed in the future. You also have an opportunity to resubmit in twelve months time if you wish it to be reconsidered then.

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