Record metadata

type: "Government Publication"
title: "GDS API technical and data standards"
description: "REST-default, OpenAPI-first; auth, sandboxes, GDPR by design."
resource: "https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gds-api-technical-and-data-standards"
tags: [standard, uk-government]
generated: { by: human:crpage, at: 2026-07-09T09:44:00Z }
status: stable
sources: [{ id: primary, resource: "https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gds-api-technical-and-data-standards" }]

GDS API technical and data standards

First published Feb 2018: produce an OpenAPI document before coding, lint, generate docs, create test stubs, require authentication, prefer OAuth 2.0, and ensure sandboxes contain no real personal data. Directly applicable to agent readiness: a poorly-described estate will be worse for agents than for humans.