Write APIs
Background
Write APIs offer tremendous potential for federal agencies as they unleash the benefits of APIs for the services and functionality that the agency offers. Constituents usually look to do one of two things at a government website: get information or perform an action. There’s significant progress with agencies offering read-only data APIs, but there remains a need to apply the API model to the activities that are possible on .gov websites. For instance, every place where an agency has an online equivalent of ‘filling out a form’ - there’s an important question. Can that only be done on the agency’s website? If so, that’s a significant opportunity to employ a write API.
Active Examples
- Regulations.gov (non-public)
- We The People
- IRS
- USPS
- EPA’s EnergyStar Portfolio Manager
- GSA’s FPDS Web Services
- GSA’s FAADS Web Services
- Go.USA.gov API
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement SEVIS API
- Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify [More here]
- IT Dashboard
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - Commercial Building Energy Asset Scoring Tool
- Pay.gov [Non-public]
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Home Energy Scoring Tool
- Grants.gov APIs
- National Archives Catalog API
- CMS Quality Payment Program APIs
Potential Examples
- Argonne National Laboratory - PnetCDF API
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory - ADIOS API
- National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center NEWT API
- HealthData.gov Data API
- FEC eFiling API
- Argonne National Laboratory - MGl-RAST
- Beckley-based write API on notalone.gov (non-public)
- FEMA’s IPAWS API
- FedBizOpps
- VA’s VetSuccess API
Under Consideration
Interim Notes
- Google: “write API” site:.gov
- Google: POST API site:.gov
- “http://www.codeforamerica.org/blog/2013/05/09/how-to-fix-procurement-2-up-the-api-game/” (and associated discussion)
- February Forum Post on This