Feb 14, 2023 - Term change: Resource Purpose now called Operation

To protect a transactional endpoint, like a login or checkout page, you define a resource purpose in API Definitions, then set protections for it in Bot Manager Premier or Account Protector. Perhaps, like us, you never cared for that term. We’re happy to share that we’re changing the term resource purpose to the more apt and appropriate term operation.

Over the next month or so, we’ll replace all instances of this term in our user interface and our documentation.

Why we’re making this change

We coined the term resource purpose at a time when there was not a well-accepted, industry-standard terminology around APIs. When the OpenAPI initiative was formed and version 3.0.0 released in 2017, the industry began to coalesce around vocabulary defined by the Swagger specification. Swagger is REST-centric, and it called the combination of path + method an operation. You can include an additional parameter qualification in that mix and still reasonably call this element an operation. In fact, GraphQL (which is a type of RPC API) calls these operations too.

Not only is the term more in line with accepted terminology, it’s easier for readers to understand. We’re working hard to simplify your experience and appreciate your understanding as we roll out this change.