Bahn API Chaos

Explore the intricacies and inconsistencies of various railway APIs in this 51-minute conference talk from the 36C3 ChaosWest event. Delve into the complexities of train composition data and peculiarities found across different APIs. Discover why marudor.de includes an "isActuallyIC" property when train types are already provided, and why there's a "realFahrtrichtung" (real travel direction) alongside the existing "fahrtrichtung" (travel direction) property. Learn about the creative solutions developed to address API irregularities and the adventurous process of uncovering these often-hidden inconsistencies. Investigate potential reasons behind these anomalies, considering technical issues, data problems, and responsible parties. Gain insights from the speaker's three years of experience in reverse engineering and evaluating the quality of railway APIs, including those of Deutsche Bahn, various transport associations, and foreign railway companies, all based on the development of marudor.de.

36C3 ChaosWest: Bahn API Chaos