The 3GPP Common API framework: Open-source release and application use cases

The 3GPP Common API Framework (CAPIF) has been an integral part of the 3GPP SA6 specifications. It has been defined to facilitate the network core exposure, towards new application enablers of various vertical industries (including, Unmanned aerial systems, Edge data networks, Factories of the future, and Vehicular communication systems). Beyond its initial target, we believe that CAPIF can be used as a key standardized API-management framework for secure and interoperable interaction among any API providers and API consumers. In this direction, we developed the CAPIF services, and we provide them as open-source code. Beyond its full compliance with the specifications, our implementation is accompanied by test plans and ready to use templates. Finally, as a proof-of-concept evaluation, we describe how CAPIF services have been applied successfully to an event management system.