API team

The API team enables GitLab contributors to efficiently build and maintain APIs that are discoverable and stable for customers

Mission

The API team owns GitLab’s REST and GraphQL APIs as a product, and enables API-first development across GitLab. As part of Developer Experience, the API team provides tooling, processes, and practices to help contributors efficiently build and maintain APIs for customers.

As a newly formed team in FY26-Q2, we’re building our expertise in #f_rest_api and #f_graphql by working on platform-level projects and working closely with existing domain experts. Over time, the API team’s expertise will evolve into driving steering committee for API standards and decisions across GitLab.

Vision

The API team transforms GitLab into an API-first platform where APIs are a core part of how customers and agents integrate with GitLab. We achieve this through the 4Ds framework, where each investment reinforces the others in a continuous improvement cycle:

  • Documentation

    • Automated OpenAPI specifications for REST API endpoints
    • Interactive documentation and practical workflow examples

  • Deprecations

    • Clear lifecycle progression from experimental to GA
    • Predictable deprecation timelines that never break customer integrations

  • Data-driven

    • Collect aggregated product usage metrics to guide API improvements and investment decisions
    • Improved observability for GraphQL API

  • Development

    • Contributors ship APIs by default using automated tooling and paved paths
    • Architecture that facilitates consistency across REST/GraphQL APIs

These initiatives create a flywheel effect: better documentation drives adoption, deprecation management builds trust, data insights guide improvements, and development tools make it all sustainable.

As the owners of APIs at GitLab, the API team provides the stewardship and platform-level investment needed to transform our APIs into a product customers can rely on. Through scalable automation and tooling rather than one-off fixes, we achieve economies of scale that benefit both contributors and customers.

Areas of responsibilities

flowchart LR
    API[API Team] --> REST[REST API]
    click REST "https://docs.gitlab.com/api/rest/"
    API --> GQL[GraphQL API]
    click GQL "https://docs.gitlab.com/api/graphql/"

Team structure

The API team consists of 3 engineers (2 Staff, 1 Intermediate) and 1 Engineering Manager.

Members

Name Role
Amy PhillipsAmy Phillips Senior Engineering Manager, DevEx

Roadmap

As a lean team, we balance high confidence in our “Now” commitments while keeping “Next” and “Later” commitments directionally aligned and flexible. For more information on technical roadmap, refer to Infrastructure Platforms roadmap.

Now

Focus: Documentation - Make APIs discoverable (FY26-Q3 to FY26-Q4)

  • Autogenerate OpenAPI v3.0 specification for REST API
  • Deploy interactive documentation for OpenAPI v3.0 specification
  • Add lifecycle annotations (e.g. experimental/beta/GA) to enable predictable evolution for REST API

For more information on current projects, refer to our top-level epic.

Next

Focus: Deprecations & Data-driven - Build trust and visibility (FY27-Q1 to FY27-Q2)

  • Build visibility into API usage patterns and customer needs for REST and GraphQL APIs
  • Establish lifecycle management policies, tooling, and notification systems for REST and GraphQL APIs
  • Improve API observability and monitoring capabilities for GraphQL API

Later

Focus: Development - Enable API-first by default (FY27-Q3 and beyond)

  • Create tooling that makes API development efficient for REST and GraphQL APIs
  • Explore architectural improvements for parity and consistency across REST and GraphQL APIs
  • Enable teams to self-serve their entire API needs from development to deprecation

Keeping The Lights On (KTLO)

In addition to planned work, the API team will also be responsible for ongoing maintenance that impacts shared functionality across API surface areas, such as security vulnerabilities, critical bug fixes, etc.

Working with us

During team formation period:

  • For REST API questions: Start in #f_rest_api where domain experts can help
  • For GraphQL questions: Start in #f_graphql where domain experts can help
  • For platform-level API improvements: Engage us in #g_developer-experience_api
  • We’re not yet requiring reviews by API team until we’ve built up toward that capability

For individual questions, please mention team members directly on GitLab.com or reach out to the team through our Slack channels.

Slack Channels

Channel Purpose
#g_developer-experience_api Engage directly with API Team
#f_rest_api Engage with domain experts on REST API
#f_graphql Engage with domain experts on GraphQL API

How we work

The API team is geographically distributed across AMER and EMEA regions and works asynchronously by default.

Meetings

The API team meets synchronously once a week. For more information on sync meeting, refer to agenda notes.

Project Management

The API team follows project management process for Infrastructure Platforms department.

For more information on current projects, refer to parent epic.

Last modified August 25, 2025: Add API team handbook page (2be72af7)
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