Interoperable framework for secure dual mode edge application programming interface consumption in hybrid edge computing platforms

An apparatus comprising:

• interface circuitry to communicate over a first reference point and a second reference point;
• instructions;
• and
• at least one processor circuit to be programmed by the instructions to:
• access, over the first reference point, information to advertise a first plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs) exposed by a first edge computing platform (ECP), the first ECP to implement a first edge computing technology (ECT) including multi-access edge computing (MEC), the first plurality of APIs including a transport discovery API and a MEC service API;
• prepare a common API framework (CAPIF) publish service API including (i) a protocol data type to identify a protocol used by the MEC service API and (ii) a transport data type to identify a first transport protocol used to expose the MEC service API, the transport data type different from the protocol data type;
• based on the CAPIF publish service API, expose at least the MEC service API and the transport discovery API to a second ECP over the second reference point, the second ECP to implement a second ECT including the CAPIF, the transport discovery API to provide access to a plurality of different transport protocols available to expose a plurality of service APIs, the plurality of different transport protocols including the first transport protocol associated with the service API, the first transport protocol not supported by the second ECT;
• obtain a query for a list of exposed APIs from an application implemented by the second ECP;
• generate the list of exposed APIs, the list of exposed APIs including the first plurality of APIs exposed by the first ECP and a second plurality of APIs exposed by the second ECP;
• and
• cause the list of exposed APIs to be sent to the application.

A method comprising:

• accessing, over a first reference point, information to advertise a first plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs) exposed by a first edge computing platform (ECP), the first ECP implementing a first edge computing technology (ECT) including multi-access edge computing (MEC), the first plurality of APIs including a transport discovery API and a MEC service API;
• preparing a common API framework (CAPIF) publish service API including (i) a protocol data type to identify a protocol used by the MEC service API and (ii) a transport data type to identify a first transport protocol used to expose the MEC service API, the transport data type different from the protocol data type;
• exposing, based on the CAPIF publish service API, at least the MEC service API and the transport discovery API to a second ECP over a second reference point, the second ECP implementing a second ECT including the CAPIF, the transport discovery API providing access to a plurality of different transport protocols available to expose a plurality of service APIs, the plurality of different transport protocols including the first transport protocol associated with the service API, the first transport protocol not supported by the second ECT;
• obtaining a query for a list of exposed APIs from an application implemented by the second ECP;
• generating the list of exposed APIs, the list of exposed APIs including the first plurality of APIs exposed by the first ECP and a second plurality of APIs exposed by the second ECP;
• and
• sending the list of exposed APIs to the application.