SmartBear to Acquire Stoplight to Deliver Industry’s Broadest Portfolio of API Development Capabilities
SmartBear, a leading provider of software development and visibility tools, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Stoplight, a global API design-first company, which will create the most comprehensive API development platform in the industry, providing enhanced visibility, automation, and productivity for development teams looking to modernize API practices. Adding Stoplight’s API strengths, including governance, mocking, and no-code editing to SmartBear’s industry-leading API design, documentation, and enterprise readiness capabilities delivers the most optimal development workflow for scaling APIs. SmartBear’s large open source communities, including Swagger, SoapUI, and Pact, are now joined with Stoplight’s Prism, Spectral, and Elements global communities for a dynamic and collaborative network of OS developers, totaling in the tens of millions.
Dan Faulkner, Chief Product Officer at SmartBear, said, “With the addition of Stoplight, SmartBear accelerates its commitment to investing in API capabilities where developers need it most to help them develop high quality, complex software at scale. We are delighted to join forces with Stoplight’s team to deliver the best of our industry-leading capabilities in a unified way. As one of the largest supporters of API open source communities, we also welcome Stoplight’s OS communities and look forward to growing in strength and numbers.”
According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the API management market is expected to grow from $4.5 billion in 2022 to $13.7 billion by 2027, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25.1%.
Stoplight’s API platform brings tier-one functionality in API design, mocking, and governance while powering an intuitive and frictionless experience to scale business with effective API programs. With this integration, SmartBear’s API development platform will have the industry’s leading functionality in design, mocking, linting, contract testing, end-to-end testing, governance, and more.
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Harrison Yeager, CEO of Stoplight, said, “We are thrilled to join forces with SmartBear and embark on this exciting journey together. This powerful combination will accelerate the enhancement of products, support, and resources that will elevate developer and API experiences. Our shared vision and collective expertise will enable us to deliver even greater value to the market and our trusted customers. Together, we are poised to set new standards in API lifecycle management and drive innovation for development teams worldwide.”
The acquisition of Stoplight comes on the heels of SmartBear’s recent release of SwaggerHub Explore, the exploration tool that allows developers to easily visualize API data in a single place and evaluate functionality before investing time in API integration. Integrated with Explore, the newly released SwaggerHub Portal allows API providers to create customizable landing pages, providing consumers with comprehensive resources for easy implementation – all driving the adoption of APIs.
Melinda-Carol Ballou, Research Director at IDC, said, “SmartBear’s acquisition of Stoplight augments its API lifecycle management offering to help developers create more reliable APIs that can better align with a company’s objectives. IDC research indicates that API governance is key to help maintain API consistency and quality to be able to be more widely adopted across organizations. Stoplight’s focus on governance with adaptable tools complements SmartBear’s existing portfolio well, and we expect synergies across the combined product set and leverage across additional open source software communities to enable and drive broader adoption.”
SmartBear expects to begin integrating Stoplight features into its core API design, documentation, and portal offerings in the first half of 2024 to deliver a unified platform. Stoplight customers will enjoy ongoing access to their platform with the benefit of added capabilities as the products come together.
