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Version: 8.0

What's New In This Release

This section provides an overview of the new features in Ed-Fi API v8.0, targeted for deployment beginning with the 2027–2028 school year. A comprehensive list of all changes is available in the Release Notes section.

Ed-Fi API v8.0 is a new platform, not an incremental update to the ODS/API. It replaces the Ed-Fi ODS/API and Ed-Fi Admin API with two new services:

  • Ed-Fi API — implements the Ed-Fi Resources, Descriptors, and Discovery API specifications
  • Configuration Service — implements the Ed-Fi Management API specification v3, replacing the Admin API

Ed-Fi API v8.0 is API-compatible with the ODS/API in terms of the data model and resource API design. However, client migration is required. Breaking changes include resource URL path changes (the v3 version segment is removed), case-sensitive property names, and a relocated token endpoint (now on the Configuration Service; the Ed-Fi API retains an /oauth/token compatibility proxy). See the Breaking Changes section of the release notes for the full migration checklist.

Improvements & Enhancements​

Relational Storage Model​

Ed-Fi API v8.0 introduces a new relational tables-per-resource storage model. Each Ed-Fi resource is stored in its own set of dedicated relational tables, organized into a schema per project (for example, the ed-fi project maps to the edfi schema, giving tables such as edfi.School and edfi.Student) in PostgreSQL or SQL Server. Unlike the ODS/API's deeply normalized, inheritance-based schema, v8 uses a flat tables-per-resource model with a different schema structure.

The new storage model enables direct SQL access to resource data with predictable, normalized table structures. Existing SQL-based reporting and analytics queries written against ODS/API database tables will require rewriting to accommodate the new schema structure. See Relational Data Model for the new schema.

The api-schema-tools CLI tool manages database provisioning — creating tables, indexes, triggers, and authorization structures for a given API schema version. See Database Provisioning for details.

Multi-Tenancy​

The Configuration Service manages data stores (tenant database connections, encrypted at rest), and tenant context is extracted directly from the URL route. Multiple tenants can share a single deployment, with complete data isolation enforced at the database level.

Context-based routing — by school year, district ID, or any combination of route qualifier segments — is also built in and configured through the Configuration Service. See Multi-Tenancy for configuration details.

Profile​

Profiles (both readable and writable) are supported in Ed-Fi API v8.0. Profiles allow implementers to define data policies that restrict the resources and properties visible to a specific API client application. Profiles are authored in the Configuration Service and assigned directly to applications. See API Profiles for details.

Changed Record Query​

The changed record query endpoints (/availableChangeVersions, /deletes, /keyChanges) are supported in Ed-Fi API v8.0. These endpoints allow API clients to efficiently retrieve only records that have changed since their last synchronization. See Changed Record Queries for details.

Configuration Service Replaces Admin API​

The Ed-Fi Admin API is replaced by the Configuration Service, which implements the Ed-Fi Management API specification v3. All platform administration — managing vendors, applications, API client credentials, claim sets, and data stores — is performed through the Configuration Service API.

The Configuration Service uses the same database engine (PostgreSQL or SQL Server) as the DMS and runs as a separate containerized service.

Self-Contained Identity Provider​

Ed-Fi API v8.0 includes a built-in OpenIddict-based identity provider hosted inside the Configuration Service. No external identity server is required for a standard deployment. The token endpoint is served at /connect/token on the Configuration Service.

For environments that require enterprise identity management or single sign-on, Keycloak remains supported as an alternative identity provider. See Identity Provider Configuration for details.

Docker-Based Deployment​

Ed-Fi API v8.0 is distributed as Docker images and deployed using Docker Compose. The DMS repository includes startup scripts and a reference docker-compose.yml that bring up DMS, Configuration Service, and a PostgreSQL database with a single command.

There is no binary installer or Windows Service at this time. See Getting Started for deployment instructions.

MetaEd IDE v4.8​

Implementing extensions in Ed-Fi API v8.0 requires implementers to update to MetaEd IDE v4.8. Refer to MetaEd 4.8 What's New for details on latest updates and improvements.