As APIs have evolved over time, so have the formats used to document them. Two widely recognized standards are WSDL, associated with XML-based web services, and OpenAPI, commonly used for RESTful services.

WSDL (Web Services Description Language), originating with XML-based web services, describes how web services communicate over a network. It provides structured documentation in XML, detailing the operations a web service offers and the data structure for requests and responses.

OpenAPI (previously known as Swagger) emerged with the rise of RESTful APIs. It utilizes simpler, more efficient JSON or YAML formats to describe API operations, making it easier for developers to understand and work with APIs.

Each format has its place depending on the architecture, with WSDL supporting more complex SOAP-based services and OpenAPI focusing on simplicity and flexibility for REST services. Apiboost bridges the gap by offering a unified catalog to manage and access API documentation in any format.

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