Credit: Elchinator from Pixabay 

The catalogue was opened earlier this month and is hosted on open code repository GitHub. APIs – small pieces of code that allow two or more software programs to interact with one another – can be posted to the catalogue by anyone with a GOV.UK email address.

GDS is seeking APIs that either help connect two government organisations with one another, or enable an industry partner to connect with government. The catalogue will “both data and transactional APIs”.

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The catalogue states: “Government organisations often develop APIs in isolation, which leads to the government solving the same problem multiple times, often in different ways. This is not time- or cost-efficient for many APIs.”

GDS hopes that the catalogue will enable developers at different organisations to learn from one another. Organisations may also be able to reuse code developed by peers in another part of government.

“The API catalogue will increase transparency of what API development is taking place within government, encourage organisations to consider reusing APIs built within their own organisation and elsewhere in government, help GDS further set standards, and help government organisations understand where and in what context the standards are being adopted,” the catalogue says.

The digital government agency indicated that it will regularly review the catalogue and the APIs posted to it.