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API Certification and Recertification

When an API Resource is linked to a Certification Type that requires conformance testing, its certification status is not a one-time, static badge. Raidiam Connect periodically re-runs the relevant Conformance Suite test plan to confirm the resource still meets the certification's requirements.

Why recertification exists

An API implementation that was compliant when it was first certified can drift out of compliance over time — for example, after an unrelated deployment changes response shapes, or after the underlying specification is updated. Recertification catches this automatically rather than relying on the publishing organisation to notice and re-test manually.

How it works

  1. For every active, conformance-enabled API resource, a scheduled process (test plan generation) identifies which resources are due for re-validation and queues a recertification request for each one.

  2. A recertification process picks up each queued request and re-runs the corresponding Conformance Suite test plan against the live resource.

  3. Depending on the result:

    • If the test plan passes, the resource's certification status resets to Self-Certified.

    • If the test plan runs but fails, the resource's certification status moves to Warning. If the resource fails recertification again while already in Warning (or Rejected), its status escalates to Rejected.

    • If the Conformance Suite test plan itself no longer exists (for example, the certified specification version has been retired), the resource's certification status is set to Deprecated - this is unrelated to the resource failing a test, it reflects that there is no longer a test plan to validate against.

warning

A resource moving to Warning or Rejected status through recertification is not necessarily visible as an error in your own systems - it reflects that the live implementation no longer passes conformance testing, even if no code change was made on the API Resource record itself. Data Receivers should treat a Warning, Rejected, or Deprecated certification status as a signal to stop relying on that resource's certification until it is re-certified.

What this means for API providers

  • Keep track of your API Resources' certification status, not just at registration time.

  • If a resource's certification status changes to Warning or Rejected, review recent changes to the live implementation. A single failure moves the resource to Warning; a second consecutive failure escalates it to Rejected.

  • If a resource's certification status changes to Deprecated, this means the underlying Conformance Suite test plan no longer exists, not that the resource itself failed - check whether a newer certification type version is available.

  • Consult the Conformance Suite APIs for ways to inspect test plan results directly.