Topic on Talk:Core Platform Team/Initiatives/Core REST API in MediaWiki

To put another it another way: Are Product Infrastructure ambassadors for all teams in Product?

So, we discussed this on the Product-Platform sync today briefly. I have a lot of thoughts on the subject.

The purpose of this initiative is to expose the core functionality of MediaWiki through a RESTful API. The main users we are targeting are:

- WMF client software developers (~Product)

- Community client software developers (bots, gadgets, etc.)

- Third-party developers integrating WMF content into their software (a home exchange app adding Wikivoyage guides to their iOS app)

- Large scale content syndicators (voice assistants, search engines, ...)

The functionality in Epics 1 and 2 are going to be very important for third-party developers. Our official clients have already got this functionality through other APIs (Action API, RESTBase) so it's probably not as valuable to them.

The functionality in Epics 3, 4 and 5 is more oriented towards advanced end-users (the Curator and Administrator personas). Some of it will probably never get into official clients; other parts are just being added now, or will be added in the future. We plucked some of the user stories from Epic 3 to make an Epic 0.5 specifically for iOS.

So, what is the role of Product Infrastructure in this initiative? I have a few ideas, but would probably stand to learn rather than instruct in this regard. Here are my ideas:

- Using the REST API infrastructure to make extension APIs. The current method of exposing RESTful APIs is to build Action API extensions and then proxy them through RESTbase to make them RESTful. This infrastructure should make exposing RESTful APIs from extensions easier.

- Advocating for use of this API within Product. I think that's your "ambassador" role.

- Letting CPT know about client work that would benefit from re-prioritizing user stories in these epics. As we did for iOS, we could also do for other teams.

- Executing some of these user stories. It may make sense for Product Infrastructure to implement a user story here if CPT can't or won't get to it in time for client app schedule needs.

Again, I'm just feeling around. I think we might want to have a direct call to consider it.

Thanks, @EProdromou (WMF). Given their body of work and the roles that you've laid out, it makes sense for Product Infrastructure to be mentioned. AIUI they're already fulfilling some of those roles already.

We can always revisit this if our team structure and/or needs change in the future.