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FOLIO API

software

Public RESTful API for the Federated Open Legal Information Ontology, providing programmatic access to 18,000+ legal concepts with multiple output formats

period: 2024-present
team: ALEA Institute
tech:
Legal Informatics
GitHub Website
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A production-ready RESTful API service providing public access to the Federated Open Legal Information Ontology (FOLIO), enabling developers to integrate standardized legal concepts into their applications through a well-documented HTTP interface.

Service Overview

The FOLIO API serves as the primary web interface for accessing the legal ontology, offering:

  • Public Access: Free, unrestricted API at https://folio.openlegalstandard.org/
  • Multiple Formats: JSON-LD, OWL XML, Markdown, and HTML responses
  • Semantic Search: Optional LLM-powered search capabilities
  • OpenAPI Documentation: Interactive API docs at /docs endpoint

API Capabilities

Core Endpoints

Class Retrieval

  • Get detailed information about specific FOLIO classes
  • Access by IRI or internal identifier
  • Full property and relationship data

Search Functions

  • Prefix Search: Autocomplete functionality
  • Label Search: Find concepts by name
  • Definition Search: Query by descriptions
  • Semantic Search: LLM-enhanced discovery

Format Conversion

  • JSON-LD for web applications
  • OWL XML for ontology tools
  • Markdown for documentation
  • HTML for human browsing

Technical Architecture

Infrastructure

  • Web Framework: Python-based API server
  • Reverse Proxy: Caddy for HTTPS and security
  • Containerization: Docker for deployment
  • Documentation: OpenAPI/Swagger integration

Deployment Features

  • Automatic TLS certificate management
  • Security headers configuration
  • Load balancing support
  • Health check endpoints

Configuration

The API supports flexible configuration through config.json:

{
  "enable_llm_search": true,
  "cache_timeout": 3600,
  "rate_limiting": {
    "enabled": true,
    "requests_per_minute": 60
  }
}

Development Setup

Local Development

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/alea-institute/folio-api

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run development server
python -m uvicorn main:app --reload

Docker Deployment

# Build and run with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d

# Access at https://localhost

API Usage Examples

Basic Class Retrieval

# Get contract concept
curl https://folio.openlegalstandard.org/api/v1/class/Contract

# Get as JSON-LD
curl -H "Accept: application/ld+json" \
  https://folio.openlegalstandard.org/api/v1/class/Contract

Search Operations

# Search by prefix
curl https://folio.openlegalstandard.org/api/v1/search?prefix=Cont

# Semantic search
curl -X POST https://folio.openlegalstandard.org/api/v1/search/semantic \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "employment agreements"}'

Performance Features

  • Caching: Intelligent response caching
  • Rate Limiting: Fair usage policies
  • Compression: Gzip response compression
  • Connection Pooling: Efficient resource usage

Security

Built with security best practices:

  • HTTPS by default with Caddy
  • CORS configuration for web apps
  • Rate limiting to prevent abuse
  • Input validation and sanitization

Integration Support

The API facilitates integration with:

  • Legal tech applications
  • AI/ML pipelines
  • Knowledge management systems
  • Document processing tools
  • Research platforms

Monitoring

Production monitoring includes:

  • Request/response logging
  • Performance metrics
  • Error tracking
  • Usage analytics

Documentation

Comprehensive documentation available:

Future Enhancements

  • GraphQL endpoint support
  • Webhook notifications
  • Batch processing endpoints
  • Advanced query language
  • Real-time synchronization

The FOLIO API represents a critical infrastructure component for the legal technology ecosystem, providing reliable, scalable access to standardized legal information.

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