Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

swagger.io VS API Extractor

Compare swagger.io VS API Extractor and see what are their differences

swagger.io logo swagger.io

Swagger is an open source RESTapi Documentation Tool.

API Extractor logo API Extractor

API Extractor helps you write better TypeScript libraries: It analyzes your exported type signatures and (1) produces an API documentation website, (2) generates a .d.ts "rollup" file, and (3) creates an API report to facilitate PR reviews.
  • swagger.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11
  • API Extractor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-28

swagger.io features and specs

  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Swagger.io offers extensive documentation that is easy to understand, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users to document and visualize APIs.
  • Interactive API Exploration
    Swagger UI allows developers to test endpoints directly from the browser, which significantly enhances the API development and debugging process.
  • Automated Code Generation
    Swagger can generate client and server code in multiple languages, reducing the time and effort needed to develop APIs.
  • Standardization
    Swagger adheres to the OpenAPI Specification, which is widely recognized and helps in maintaining a standard format across different APIs.
  • Wide Adoption
    Being one of the most popular tools for API documentation, Swagger has a large community and wide industry adoption, which facilitates better support and resources.
  • Third-Party Integrations
    Swagger supports numerous third-party integrations, enabling seamless integration into CI/CD pipelines and other development workflows.

Possible disadvantages of swagger.io

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its comprehensive documentation, there can be a steep learning curve for beginners who are not familiar with API documentation and the OpenAPI Specification.
  • Complexity with Large APIs
    For very large APIs with numerous endpoints, the Swagger UI can become unwieldy and less performant, making it difficult to manage and visualize.
  • Customization Limitations
    While Swagger offers a lot of out-of-the-box features, there are limitations in terms of customizing the UI and some other aspects without delving into code.
  • Dependency on Additional Tools
    To fully utilize Swagger's capabilities, especially in code generation and testing, developers often need to rely on additional tools and libraries, which can add to the complexity.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running the Swagger documentation server can introduce some performance overhead, which might be noticeable in environments with limited resources.

API Extractor features and specs

  • Comprehensive API Report
    API Extractor generates detailed reports of the API surface, which helps developers understand the changes and current state of the API, ensuring all team members are on the same page.
  • API Stability
    By using API Extractor, developers can enforce consistent API patterns and prevent breaking changes, contributing to a more stable and reliable API over time.
  • TypeScript Support
    API Extractor is specifically designed for TypeScript, making it highly effective for projects that rely on TypeScript's typing and interfaces.
  • Markdown Documentation
    The tool supports generation of markdown files for documentation, which can be easily integrated with existing documentation sites, enhancing accessibility and ease of use.
  • Version Tracking
    It allows developers to track API changes across versions, helping to manage deprecation and communicate updates effectively to users.

Possible disadvantages of API Extractor

  • Learning Curve
    API Extractor has a steep learning curve for new users, which can be challenging for teams without prior experience or knowledge of TypeScript toolchains.
  • TypeScript-Only
    Since API Extractor is designed for TypeScript, it cannot be used directly with JavaScript projects, limiting its applicability to TypeScript-based projects only.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Setting up API Extractor can be complex due to its configuration options, requiring time and effort to properly integrate it into a build process.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running API Extractor can add significant overhead to the build process, impacting the overall build time, particularly in large projects.
  • Maintenance
    Regular updates and maintenance of the API Extractor configuration are required to keep in synchronization with updates to the TypeScript language and changes in the codebase.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to swagger.io and API Extractor)
API Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Documentation
84 84%
16% 16
Documentation As A Service & Tools
Knowledge Base
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare swagger.io and API Extractor

swagger.io Reviews

Introduction to Doxygen Alternatives In 2021
Swagger io is a software application In the Documentation as a Service & Tools department of a technology stack. It is an open-source tool. Swagger io is an independent set of Javascript, CSS, and HTML tools from a Swagger-compliant API that dynamically produces paperwork and sandbox.
Source: www.webku.net
Doxygen Alternatives
Swagger io is a software In the Documentation as a Service & Tools division of a technology stack. It is an open-source tool. Swagger io is an independent set of Javascript, CSS, and HTML tools from a Swagger-compliant API that dynamically creates documentation and sandbox.
Source: www.educba.com

API Extractor Reviews

We have no reviews of API Extractor yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, swagger.io seems to be a lot more popular than API Extractor. While we know about 95 links to swagger.io, we've tracked only 5 mentions of API Extractor. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

swagger.io mentions (95)

  • How API Schema Validation Boosts Effective Contract Testing
    OpenAPI (Swagger): A comprehensive approach to API design that includes built-in schema validation capabilities. - Source: dev.to / 7 days ago
  • 🚀 The Ultimate Guide to REST API Design: Best Practices & Patterns You Can’t Ignore
    Not documenting your API (use tools like Swagger). - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Squido: A Beginner’s Guide to the HTML Website Generator
    Swagger API doc: It enables swagger and generates your super fast static API documentation. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • API Lifecycle Management: Key Strategies for Success
    Comprehensive documentation is vital for the success of an API. Providing clear, developer-friendly documentation helps users understand how to use the API effectively. Tools like Swagger and Postman offer powerful documentation capabilities. Swagger allows developers to create interactive API documentation, while Postman provides detailed guides and examples. For instance, a survey by Postman revealed that 95% of... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • API Titans Collide: OpenAPI vs. Swagger vs. Postman – The 2025 Developer’s Guide
    Imagine standing at the crossroads of innovation where three API titans—OpenAPI, Swagger, and Postman—are not just tools, but partners in your journey toward building robust, user-friendly APIs. In 2025, as the API landscape evolves faster than ever, choosing the right tool isn’t just about convenience—it’s about empowering your development process and giving your projects a competitive edge. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

API Extractor mentions (5)

  • Deploying TypeScript Type Definitions for Umbraco v14 Packages
    Thankfully we can achieve this using third party tool, API Extractor. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • In-Depth guide for TypeScript Library
    There are many more tools than those listed above. You can check out discussion and comparison of bundling tools. Unfortunately, choosing the right tool among them is a process that you'll have to experiment with and decide for your own project needs. For example, dts-bundle-generator, API Extractor, and rollup-plugin-dts do not support .d.ts.map files. Also, API Extractor and dts-bundle-generator do not have... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • I created a game engine using TypeScript. Please roast it.
    I use https://api-extractor.com/ at work and really like it. The problem with it is that the spec it follows doesn’t 100% match VSCode’s behavior. This causes pain when using {@link} fields in descriptions. Typedoc looks fine too, I’ve never used it. Source: about 2 years ago
  • [AskJS] Managing private packages and published types in a monorepo
    I've tried using https://api-extractor.com/ to rollup types but it has some edge cases where it fails. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Do you use JSdocs with TypeScript?
    I use TSDoc extensively at work, along with API Extractor to generate externally-facing documentation from the TSDoc comments. It’s great. Since I’ve gotten used to good intellisense in VSCode I don’t really like working in code that doesn’t have TSDoc comments anymore. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing swagger.io and API Extractor, you can also consider the following products

Doxygen - Generate documentation from source code

TypeDoc - A documentation generator for TypeScript projects

Swagger UI - Swagger UI is a dependency-free collection of HTML, Javascript, and CSS assets that dynamically generate beautiful documentation from a Swag

Docma - Docma is a powerful tool to easily generate beautiful HTML documentation from Javascript (JSDoc)...

Apigee - Intelligent and complete API platform

Compodoc - The missing documentation tool for your Angular application