The IX-API initiative has experienced another groundbreaking year in 2024, further cementing its role as a leading force in the standardization of internet exchange automation. With significant progress on version 3.0, key updates to version 2, and a growing community of contributors, the initiative continues to drive innovation in interconnectivity services.
A Year Marked by Advancements in Version 3.0, Community Engagement, and Expanded Functionalities
Laying the Groundwork for IX-API 3.0
In 2024, IX-API took a major step forward by initiating work on version 3.0 of the specification. A first draft proposal for asynchronicity was introduced, marking a critical advancement toward improving scalability and efficiency. Additionally, efforts began to rationalize the data structure, ensuring native support for Layer 3 products. These changes set the foundation for a more flexible and robust API, capable of supporting the evolving needs of internet exchanges and cloud networking.
Hands-On Community Engagement: IX-API Workshop at Euro-IX
The IX-API initiative kicked off the year with an interactive workshop held alongside the Euro-IX Forum in Rhodes in May. This event brought together a packed room of industry professionals, all of whom had the opportunity to run basic IX-API use cases using the newly re-launched IX-API sandbox UI . The hands-on approach provided participants with practical insights into the capabilities of IX-API, fostering broader adoption and deeper engagement within the community.
Enhancements in IX-API 2.x: Expanding Capabilities and Performance
2024 also saw two important releases in the IX-API 2.x series, with versions 2.5 and 2.6 introducing several key features:
- Sharing Metrics Option – Enhancing transparency and efficiency in capacity planning.
- Pagination Support – Improving data handling for large-scale deployments.
- Layer 3 Configuration Enhancements – Supporting routing function functionality, further strengthening IX-API’s capabilities in network automation.
- RTT Statistics Added to Core Specification – Providing essential insights for performance monitoring. Also for the first time the IX-API provides streaming updates by means of server-sent events.
These updates solidify IX-API’s position as an essential tool for automating and optimizing internet exchange services.
A Highly Active and Collaborative Working Group
The IX-API Specification Working Group played a vital role in these advancements, maintaining a high level of activity throughout the year. The group held weekly calls and met twice in person – in London, hosted by LINX (in June) and in Amsterdam, hosted by AMS-IX (in October) – to drive progress on the specification. DE-CIX is already scheduled to be the next host in 2025. This dedication to collaboration and continuous improvement ensures that IX-API remains at the forefront of industry standards.
Riccardo Verzeni, Director of Software Engineering at LINX says;
“With IX-API 3.0, we’re taking a significant step forward in automation and interoperability. By focusing on asynchronicity and a more structured data model, we aim to simplify integrations with internal systems and enable seamless Layer 3 support. Building on the solid foundation of Version 2, we’re continuing to refine and expand the API to better serve the evolving needs of the interconnection community.”
Looking ahead to 2025
It’s crucial for us to find effective strategies to integrate these new standards into the Internet Exchanges ecosystem. Beyond the purely technical aspects, we will also focus on growing the active user base and driving broader adoption of the standard.
With the foundation for IX-API 3.0 taking shape and continuous enhancements to version 2, the initiative is well-positioned for even greater strides in the coming year. As adoption grows and more industry players join the movement, 2025 promises to be a year of even broader implementation and refinement.
IX-API remains committed to driving automation, interoperability, and efficiency in the internet exchange ecosystem, shaping the future of interconnectivity services worldwide.
< Go Back