Introduction to the CAMARA Project

In our previous article Announcing Vonage Network APIs, we introduced the idea of the new APIs have been built following the CAMARA standard. In this article, we'll delve deeper into the CAMARA project to understand its implications and what it means for the telecom industry.

What is CAMARA?

Imagine this: the giants of telecommunications and technology, assembling like The Avengers, to establish a new standard aimed at harmonizing and exposing new network capabilities to create a seamless user experience. Say no more. Welcome to CAMARA!

CAMARA is an open-source project within the Linux Foundation that hosts the API standards and develops and tests the APIs. The project collaborates closely with the GSMA Operator Platform Group to align API requirements.

The name CAMARA originates from the Greek word for "arched roof," symbolizing the collaboration or alliance of multiple entities under one vision.

How Does it Work?

The members (participants, coordinators, contributors, etc.) of the CAMARA project are organized into subprojects and working groups. Although it may sound similar, there are some differences.

Subprojects

A subproject is where topics related to each API are discussed, including how to document and describe the API or develop and test it. Some examples of subprojects include SIM Swap, Device status, or Number Verification.

Members of each subproject meet virtually from time to time and organize their work around a GitHub repository and a mailing list. All repositories contain the same structure, making it easy to find information:

• The documentation/MeetingMinutes folder stores all minutes from previous meetings, during which decisions about the API's behavior are made.
• The code/API_definitions contains the OpenAPI specification of the API in YAML format.

Working groups

The working groups typically address common topics across all subprojects. Some examples of working groups are the API Backlog, which manages the lifecycle of the API proposals, the Marketing group, responsible for promoting the APIs, or the Commonalities group, where common topics relevant to all APIs are discussed (e.g. authorization, documentation, or guidelines)

Just like the subprojects, members of the working groups use a GitHub repository and a mailing list to coordinate their activities.

If you're curious about the project's structure and the roles of its participants, check out the Project Structure and Roles documentation page.

API Lifecycle

One of the most interesting activities of the project is to maintain the lifecycle of the APIs.

Everything starts with the API onboarding, where companies can submit a new API proposal outlining a high description of the API (what it does with some examples), along with its technical and commercial viability.

The API Backlog working group will evaluate the proposal and, if they approve it, they'll endorse the proposal to be sent to the steering committee for final approval. If all goes well, the API proposal will be transformed into an actual subproject, which will begin receiving contributions and ideas using the mechanisms described above.

Once the API specification is stable enough, the implementation will be deployed and tested in one or more operator networks. The deployment can be used in production environments if the tests prove successful.

Conclusion

The CAMARA project sets an important milestone in the telco industry in terms of coordination and cooperation. The open structure of the project facilitates tracking and understanding some decisions taken behind each API.

The resources and documentation already generated by the project members are extensive. Be sure to explore their GitHub repositories and Wiki.

Interested in seeing how the CAMARA-based APIs work in real environments? Be sure to check out the Vonage SIM Swap and Number Verification APIs.

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know in our Community Slack Channel and follow us on X.