The Linux Foundation, Google (GOOG), IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT) and other partners are promising easier compatibility between apps and platforms through the new Open API Initiative, which will extend the Swagger API framework.

Swagger is an open source platform that helps programmers create APIs for Internet-enabled applications. Those APIs let different applications share information and resources with one another.

Swagger has proven popular among developers of open apps since it was launched in 2010. But the new Open API Initiative was founded to extend Swagger's functionality further and provide more community collaboration in its development.

"Swagger is considered one of the most popular frameworks for building APIs. When an open source project reaches this level of maturity, it just can't be managed by one company, organization or developer," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. "The Open API Initiative will extend this technology to advance connected application development through open standards."

The Open API Initiative will focus on providing “a vendor neutral, portable and open specification for providing metadata for RESTful APIs” and produce a standard that developers can adopt to create open APIs, the Linux Foundation said in announcing the launch.

Founding members of the Open API Initiative, which is a Linux Foundation collaborative project, include 3Scale, Apigee, Capital One, Google, IBM, Intuit, Microsoft, PayPal and Restlet.