Edition 2: PactFlow’s New User Experience
“From developers to testers and beyond, we’re committed to empowering you with the tools and knowledge to succeed.“
Welcome to edition #2 of the SmartBear DevRel Newsletter – No Fluff, Just Real Stuff ™.
Edition Spotlight
We are excited to share the updated PactFlow user interface, designed to be beautiful, intuitive, and fast. This new application-centric view aligns with developers’ workflows, simplifying navigation and improving usability. It enhances integration with tools like can-i-deploy, while also adding features like light and dark themes. The UI update supports PactFlow’s evolution from an integration-focused platform to a more versatile, feature-rich solution for contract testing. You can read more about it here.
Community Corner
Wanna hang out in our Den?
Previewing DevRel Den – SmartBear’s bi-monthly DevRel hangout where we chat about latest tech trends, showcase some SmartBear and community tools, and uncover insights across the world of APIs, Swagger, Pact, Observability, and Testing. Whether you’re deep into development or just curious about how the SmartBear teams and wider open source community builds smarter, faster, and more reliable software, this is the place to be. We’ll invite industry experts and passionate community members to explore cutting-edge topics, share tips and tricks, and dive into the tools shaping the future of software delivery. So grab your favourite snack and join us for our inaugural session – we’ll share the details very soon!
If you think you have a story you’d like to share get in touch with us at devrel@smartbear.com.
Featured Insights
Our featured insights cover some exciting updates to SwaggerHub with the introduction of a new Form Editor experience, PactFlow’s new user experience, and also explore the benefits of adopting an API-First approach.
Leave your YAML at the door – Visual Editing comes to SwaggerHub!
A few weeks back, we launched a new Form Editor experience for APIs within SwaggerHub, meaning you can now choose between YAML/JSON editor or form-based editor reducing the need to be an OpenAPI expert.
The editor brings:
- Stoplight editing experience to SwaggerHub
- OAS form-based editing (OAS 3.0.x for now)
- API Template form-based editing
- API Domain form-based editing
API First – Drivers and Benefits
f you’re interested in “API-First” but struggle to understand the organisational or operational drivers that might indicate a positive return on investment for adopting such approaches, then check out this session from Frank Kilcommins and Nauman Ali. They cover the topics above and showcase how visual tools, like the new Form Editor within SwaggerHub can help break down the barriers to participation in API delivery.
The DevRel Library
Designing APIs with Swagger and OpenAPI
Our colleague Josh Ponelat authored a book called “Designing APIs with Swagger and OpenAPI” together with Lukas Rosenstock. The book acts as an excellent starting guide for anyone interested in APIs, API design, leveraging tools like Swagger and Postman to work with OpenAPI.
Check out the book in the Manning BookStore!
Watch Josh and Lukas talking about their book on Eric Wilde’s YouTube channel.
All things Pact and PactFlow
Read about Pact’s new RFC process, and community contributions in the latest blog.
Check out Bas Dijkstra’s latest course – Practical Contract Testing with Pact. You can use PACTFLOW-IO which will take 15% off the price, it’s valid until the end of the year, so what are you waiting for?
We’re also excited to bring you blog 1 (of 3) from the PactFlow side of the house, exploring how TDD techniques and a AI could enhance your contract testing experience. Read the blog!
DevRels on Tour
SmartBear Connect
Join industry leaders and experts for a deep dive into the latest innovations driving digital transformation.
Explore topics like GenAI, testing, API excellence, and next-gen observability while gaining insights from real-world customer experiences.
The virtual event is today, Thursday 12 Sept and you’re not too late to register to attend and or receive the recording of the event to your email address!
If you fancy an in-person event for a change, Connect is also happening in London, UK – 9 Oct, Boston, US – 16 Oct, Begaluru, India – 22 Oct or Melbourne, Aus – 24 Oct and you can register to attend any of those here.
APIDays London
n this talk, you’ll learn how to leverage the Arazzo Specification to streamline your API workflows, improve interoperability, and future-proof your API strategy. You may even get a peek at some new emerging tooling supporting Arazzo!
Register for API Days London with our special discount
LangDev CON 2024
Frank will be introducing the Arazzo Specification to language engineering enthusiasts from both industry and academia come together at LangDev to discuss the state of the art & state of the practice of language engineering.
Meet the Team
Open Source @ SmartBear
SmartBear has a powerful and comprehensive suite of open-source tools.
Have you used one or more of these products as part of your development toolset?
Useful links to learn more:
Check out Swagger
Check out Pact
Check out Spectral, Prism, and Elements
Check out Cucumber
Check out SOAPUI
Leaving you with…
Breaking down technical content can be easier than you think! Take a trip with Julia Evans on how to teach technical concepts with cartoons.
// The SmartBear DevRel Team
# GitHub: https://github.com/SmartBear-DevRel
# Email: devrel@smartbear.com