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Convert Apicentric service definitions into industry-standard formats like OpenAPI or Postman collections for use with other tools.

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Usage

apicentric simulator export --file <INPUT> --output <OUTPUT> --format <FORMAT>

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Arguments

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--file
string
required
Path to the Apicentric service definition YAML file to export.
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--output
string
required
Path where the exported file will be written. The file extension should match the format (e.g., .json for OpenAPI/Postman).
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--format
string
required
Export format. Supported values:
  • openapi - Export as OpenAPI 3.0 specification (JSON)
  • postman - Export as Postman Collection v2.1 (JSON)

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Options

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--config
string
default:"apicentric.json"
Path to the configuration file (global option).
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--mode
string
Execution mode override: ci, development, or debug (global option).
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--dry-run
boolean
default:"false"
Show what would be exported without actually creating the output file (global option).
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--verbose
boolean
default:"false"
Enable verbose output for detailed logging (global option).
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--db-path
string
default:"apicentric.db"
Path to the SQLite database for simulator storage (global option).

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Examples

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Export to OpenAPI

apicentric simulator export --file services/users.yaml --output openapi.json --format openapi
Example output: 
✅ Exported service to openapi.json in Openapi format
The generated OpenAPI file can be used with tools like Swagger UI, Redoc, or imported into API management platforms.

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Export to Postman

apicentric simulator export --file services/api.yaml --output collection.json --format postman
Example output: 
✅ Exported service to collection.json in Postman format
You can import the generated collection directly into Postman.

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Dry run mode

apicentric simulator export --file services/users.yaml --output api.json --format openapi --dry-run
Example output: 
🏃 Dry run: Would export service 'services/users.yaml' to 'api.json' in Openapi format

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Export formats

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OpenAPI 3.0

Exports to OpenAPI 3.0 JSON specification including:
  • Info - Service name, version, description
  • Servers - Base URL from service configuration
  • Paths - All endpoints with operations
  • Components - Schemas from type definitions
  • Responses - Response codes and bodies
  • Security - Authentication schemes
Example OpenAPI output structure: 
{
  "openapi": "3.0.0",
  "info": {
    "title": "Users API",
    "version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "servers": [
    {"url": "http://localhost:8001/api/v1"}
  ],
  "paths": {
    "/users": {
      "get": {
        "summary": "List users",
        "responses": {
          "200": {...}
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

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Postman Collection v2.1

Exports to Postman Collection format including:
  • Info - Collection name and description
  • Items - Requests organized by folders
  • Variables - Service configuration variables
  • Events - Pre-request and test scripts (where applicable)
  • Auth - Authentication configuration
Example Postman output structure: 
{
  "info": {
    "name": "Users API",
    "schema": "https://schema.getpostman.com/json/collection/v2.1.0/collection.json"
  },
  "item": [
    {
      "name": "List users",
      "request": {
        "method": "GET",
        "url": "{{baseUrl}}/users"
      }
    }
  ]
}

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Use cases

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Generate API documentation

# Export to OpenAPI
apicentric simulator export --file services/api.yaml --output docs/openapi.json --format openapi

# Serve with Swagger UI
npx swagger-ui-watcher docs/openapi.json

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Share with team via Postman

# Export to Postman
apicentric simulator export --file services/api.yaml --output collection.json --format postman

# Team members can import collection.json into Postman

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Generate client SDKs

# Export to OpenAPI
apicentric simulator export --file services/api.yaml --output openapi.json --format openapi

# Generate client with OpenAPI Generator
openapi-generator-cli generate -i openapi.json -g typescript-fetch -o client/

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CI/CD documentation generation

#!/bin/bash
# Export all services to OpenAPI
for service in services/*.yaml; do
  name=$(basename "$service" .yaml)
  apicentric simulator export \
    --file "$service" \
    --output "docs/${name}.json" \
    --format openapi
done

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API contract validation

# Export to OpenAPI for contract testing tools
apicentric simulator export --file services/api.yaml --output contract.json --format openapi

# Use with contract testing tools
dredd contract.json http://localhost:8080
Export your service definitions to integrate Apicentric with your existing API toolchain. The exported files are standards-compliant and work with popular API tools.

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Troubleshooting

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Failed to read service

❌ Failed to read service: No such file or directory
Solution: Verify the input file path is correct: 
ls -l services/users.yaml

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Invalid service YAML

❌ Invalid service YAML: expected mapping at line 10
Solution: Validate your service definition first: 
apicentric simulator validate --file services/users.yaml --verbose

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Failed to serialize

❌ Failed to serialize OpenAPI: invalid schema reference
Solution: Check your type definitions and schema references in the service definition. Ensure all referenced types are defined.

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Invalid format

❌ Invalid format 'swagger'. Use 'openapi' or 'postman'
Solution: Use one of the supported format values: 
apicentric simulator export --file services/api.yaml --output spec.json --format openapi

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Best practices

  1. Validate before exporting - Run simulator validate to catch errors early
  2. Version control exports - Commit exported files to track API changes
  3. Automate in CI - Generate exports automatically on merge to main
  4. Use meaningful names - Name output files clearly (e.g., users-api-v1.json)
  5. Test exported files - Verify exported specifications work with target tools

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