Blog: Add post about provider file and API v2

content/blog/2023-12-26-xmpp-providers-fully-automated.md

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+---
+title: XMPP Providers Fully Automated
+date: 2023-12-26
+---
+
+## Automate All The Things
+
+During the past year, the team behind the [XMPP Providers](/) project worked on automating the process of gathering data about XMPP providers.
+Automating this process reduces manual work significantly (for example, checking websites by hand, verifying information, listing sources, etc.) and helps to sustain the team's efforts.
+Automation also enables the project to be up to date -- every day!
+
+[Last month](/blog/2023-12-25-xmpp-providers-fully-automated/), the project reached a state which allowed the [suite of tools](https://invent.kde.org/melvo/xmpp-providers/-/blob/master/TOOLS.md#automation) to automatically query many [provider properties](https://invent.kde.org/melvo/xmpp-providers/-/blob/master/README.md#properties) via XMPP and through the web.
+All of these tools are working together in a GitLab pipeline, which runs every night to keep the data up to date.
+
+## API v2
+
+After automating much of the work which needed to be done manually previously, some provider properties did not seem fitting anymore and needed to change.
+This alone is of course no reason for bumping an API's version.
+While automating the process, additional properties were added, because they were available through the tools.
+
+#### Which properties did change in API `v2`?
+
+- `lastCheck` has been replaced by `latestUpdate`, since checks now run daily.
+- `company` has been replaced by `organization`, which allows for a finer distinction of an organization's type.
+
+#### Additional new properties that are collected automatically
+
+- Account creation process: For determining whether an email address is required for registering an account, [XEP-0077: In-Band Registration](https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0077.html) is used.
+- Account creation process: For determining whether a [CAPTCHA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA) need to be solved for registering an account, [XEP-0077: In-Band Registration](https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0077.html) is used.
+- Support Addresses: For retrieving the support addresses of a provider, [XEP-0157: Contact Addresses for XMPP Services](https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0157.html) is used. Please note that due to limitations of the standard, only one language is supported for addresses.
+
+The [FAQ section](/faq/#where-do-we-have-the-providers-properties-from) explains how these properties can be provided by server admins.
+
+**Additional new properties:**
+
+- `alternativeJids`: A list of JIDs a provider offers for registration other than the main JID.
+- `serverTesting`: Whether tests against the provider's server are allowed (e.g., certificate checks and uptime monitoring).
+
+## A Provider File For More Automation
+
+Not all of the properties collected by the XMPP Providers project are machine-readable yet.
+To enable automatic collection of the missing properties, the team works on extending existing standards and, if necessary, creating new ones.
+
+As a workaround until standards have been extended or created, and until those changes have been implemented and deployed in the wild, a 'provider file' shall fill the gap.
+A provider file is a JSON file containing only the provider properties that cannot be retrieved via other methods. Each provider can generate a provider file and supply it via its web server.
+To make this as easy as possible, a [Provider File Generator](/provider-file-generator/) has been developed, which generates a provider file from the information you supply.
+
+Example URL for a provider file of version 2:
+
+`https://example.org/.well-known/xmpp-provider-v2.json`
+
+As soon as a provider file is discovered by the tools, all properties listed in the provider file are automatically fetched and processed.
+
+#### Properties which can be fetched automatically via a provider file
+
+- Website: Provider website (per language).
+- Alternative JIDs: List of JIDs a provider offers for registration other than the main JID. New in API `v2`.
+- [Bus factor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_factor): Bus factor of the XMPP service (i.e., the minimum number of team members that the service could not survive losing).
+- Organization: Type of organization providing the XMPP service. New in API `v2`, formerly `company`.
+- Password reset: Password reset web page (per language) used for an automatic password reset (e.g., via email) or describing how to manually reset a password (e.g., by contacting the provider).
+- Maximum HTTP File Upload total size: Maximum size of all shared files in total per user. This property is *not* about the maximum size of each shared file, which is already retrieved via XMPP.
+- Maximum HTTP File Upload storage time: Maximum storage duration of each shared file.
+- Maximum Message Archive Management storage time: Maximum storage duration of each exchanged message.
+- Professional hosting: Whether the XMPP server is hosted with good internet connection speed, uninterruptible power supply, access protection and regular backups.
+- Free of charge: Whether the XMPP service can be used for free.
+- Legal notice: Legal notice web page (per language).
+- Server locations: Server/Backup locations (countries).
+- Server testing: Whether tests against the provider's server are allowed (e.g., certificate checks and uptime monitoring). New in API `v2`.
+- Since: Date since the XMPP service is available.
+
+## Spread the Word
+
+The project lives from the community and client implementations, so [follow us and spread the word](https://fosstodon.org/@xmpp_providers)!
+
+{{< figure src="/images/xmpp-providers.svg" caption="XMPP Providers Logo" class="text-center w-100 pt-5" height="300" link="/" >}}