OpenAPI to TypeScript
Converts OpenAPI 3.0 specifications to TypeScript interfaces and type guards.
Input: OpenAPI file (JSON or YAML) Output: TypeScript file with interfaces and type guards
When to Use
- "generate types from openapi"
- "convert openapi to typescript"
- "create API interfaces"
- "generate types from spec"
Workflow
- Request the OpenAPI file path (if not provided)
- Read and validate the file (must be OpenAPI 3.0.x)
- Extract schemas from
components/schemas - Extract endpoints from
paths(request/response types) - Generate TypeScript (interfaces + type guards)
- Ask where to save (default:
types/api.tsin current directory) - Write the file
OpenAPI Validation
Check before processing:
- Field "openapi" must exist and start with "3.0" - Field "paths" must exist - Field "components.schemas" must exist (if there are types)
If invalid, report the error and stop.
Type Mapping
Primitives
| OpenAPI | TypeScript |
|---|---|
string | string |
number | number |
integer | number |
boolean | boolean |
null | null |
Format Modifiers
| Format | TypeScript |
|---|---|
uuid | string (comment UUID) |
date | string (comment date) |
date-time | string (comment ISO) |
email | string (comment email) |
uri | string (comment URI) |
Complex Types
Object:
typescript// OpenAPI: type: object, properties: {id, name}, required: [id] interface Example { id: string; // required: no ? name?: string; // optional: with ? }
Array:
typescript// OpenAPI: type: array, items: {type: string} type Names = string[];
Enum:
typescript// OpenAPI: type: string, enum: [active, draft] type Status = "active" | "draft";
oneOf (Union):
typescript// OpenAPI: oneOf: [{$ref: Cat}, {$ref: Dog}] type Pet = Cat | Dog;
allOf (Intersection/Extends):
typescript// OpenAPI: allOf: [{$ref: Base}, {type: object, properties: ...}] interface Extended extends Base { extraField: string; }
Code Generation
File Header
typescript/** * Auto-generated from: {source_file} * Generated at: {timestamp} * * DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY - Regenerate from OpenAPI schema */
Interfaces (from components/schemas)
For each schema in components/schemas:
typescriptexport interface Product { /** Product unique identifier */ id: string; /** Product title */ title: string; /** Product price */ price: number; /** Created timestamp */ created_at?: string; }
- Use OpenAPI description as JSDoc
- Fields in
required[]have no? - Fields outside
required[]have?
Request/Response Types (from paths)
For each endpoint in paths:
typescript// GET /products - query params export interface GetProductsRequest { page?: number; limit?: number; } // GET /products - response 200 export type GetProductsResponse = ProductList; // POST /products - request body export interface CreateProductRequest { title: string; price: number; } // POST /products - response 201 export type CreateProductResponse = Product;
Naming convention:
{Method}{Path}Requestfor params/body{Method}{Path}Responsefor response
Type Guards
For each main interface, generate a type guard:
typescriptexport function isProduct(value: unknown): value is Product { return ( typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && 'id' in value && typeof (value as any).id === 'string' && 'title' in value && typeof (value as any).title === 'string' && 'price' in value && typeof (value as any).price === 'number' ); }
Type guard rules:
- Check
typeof value === 'object' && value !== null - For each required field: check
'field' in value - For primitive fields: check
typeof - For arrays: check
Array.isArray() - For enums: check
.includes()
Error Type (always include)
typescriptexport interface ApiError { status: number; error: string; detail?: string; } export function isApiError(value: unknown): value is ApiError { return ( typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && 'status' in value && typeof (value as any).status === 'number' && 'error' in value && typeof (value as any).error === 'string' ); }
$ref Resolution
When encountering {"$ref": "#/components/schemas/Product"}:
- Extract the schema name (
Product) - Use the type directly (don't resolve inline)
typescript// OpenAPI: items: {$ref: "#/components/schemas/Product"} // TypeScript: items: Product[] // reference, not inline
Complete Example
Input (OpenAPI):
json{ "openapi": "3.0.0", "components": { "schemas": { "User": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": {"type": "string", "format": "uuid"}, "email": {"type": "string", "format": "email"}, "role": {"type": "string", "enum": ["admin", "user"]} }, "required": ["id", "email", "role"] } } }, "paths": { "/users/{id}": { "get": { "parameters": [{"name": "id", "in": "path", "required": true}], "responses": { "200": { "content": { "application/json": { "schema": {"$ref": "#/components/schemas/User"} } } } } } } } }
Output (TypeScript):
typescript/** * Auto-generated from: api.openapi.json * Generated at: 2025-01-15T10:30:00Z * * DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY - Regenerate from OpenAPI schema */ // ============================================================================ // Types // ============================================================================ export type UserRole = "admin" | "user"; export interface User { /** UUID */ id: string; /** Email */ email: string; role: UserRole; } // ============================================================================ // Request/Response Types // ============================================================================ export interface GetUserByIdRequest { id: string; } export type GetUserByIdResponse = User; // ============================================================================ // Type Guards // ============================================================================ export function isUser(value: unknown): value is User { return ( typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && 'id' in value && typeof (value as any).id === 'string' && 'email' in value && typeof (value as any).email === 'string' && 'role' in value && ['admin', 'user'].includes((value as any).role) ); } // ============================================================================ // Error Types // ============================================================================ export interface ApiError { status: number; error: string; detail?: string; } export function isApiError(value: unknown): value is ApiError { return ( typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && 'status' in value && typeof (value as any).status === 'number' && 'error' in value && typeof (value as any).error === 'string' ); }
Common Errors
| Error | Action |
|---|---|
| OpenAPI version != 3.0.x | Report that only 3.0 is supported |
| $ref not found | List missing refs |
| Unknown type | Use unknown and warn |
| Circular reference | Use type alias with lazy reference |

