You can develop and test your Apigee APIs and API proxies in a local environment using
Cloud Code. Cloud Code is an extension that integrates your Apigee API
development, testing, and deployment into the
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) IDE,
including verifying the functionality through unit and manual testing using the Apigee Emulator
(local runtime).
During local development, use Apigee in Cloud Code to develop your API proxies and verify the functionality
through unit and manual testing using the Apigee Emulator (local runtime).
During archive deployment, deploy to Apigee for integration testing and release, leveraging an archive that contains the complete environment and API proxy configuration.
Benefits of local development with Apigee
The benefits of local development with Apigee include:
Quickly iterate through build and test cycles without impact to other dependent applications
Create and run repeatable unit tests that verify that the code is producing the intended outcome
Identify the set of changes that are deployed as part of a release
Track who made changes to a specific deployment
Gemini Code Assist for Apigee API management
Apigee can include API assistive functionality for API design and
management in Cloud Code, with Gemini Code Assist, including:
Using the @Apigee tool in Gemini Code Assist, generate
OpenAPI specification (OAS), version 3.0
specs from prompts describing the APIs. Spec development can include contextual information from
your Apigee API hub enterprise context to inform spec development.
Gemini Code Assist uses your enterprise API hub catalog when generating
specifications.
View and edit the generated spec.
Test the API with mock servers. Use a local mock server for testing in your local development
environment. Create a remote mock server for a persistent test service that allows multiple
simultaneous developers to test the API.
Add APIs to your enterprise API hub catalog.
Edit existing OpenAPI specs using prompts by invoking the @Apigee tool in
Gemini Code Assist
Create an Apigee API proxy from your spec in the local development environment.
To support local development, you must enable archive deployment for an environment in your Apigee organization.
When you enable archive deployment in an Apigee environment, you will be prevented from performing
certain actions within the environment to prevent conflicts with local development. For complete details, see Summary of prevented actions with archive deployment.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-26 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThis content outlines the local development capabilities for Apigee and Apigee hybrid using Cloud Code, enabling developers to build, test, and deploy APIs within the Visual Studio Code IDE.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eLocal development with Apigee allows for rapid iteration, unit testing, and streamlined change tracking, improving the development process without affecting dependent applications.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eArchive deployment to Apigee is available for integration testing and release, with a caveat that enabling archive deployment restricts certain actions in the environment to prevent conflicts with local development.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGemini Code Assist is in preview for Apigee API management, offering features like generating OpenAPI specifications from prompts and integrating with the Apigee API hub, streamlining API design and development.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe usage of features marked as "preview" are subject to the pre-GA offerings terms and have limited support.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Overview of local development with Apigee\n\n*This page\napplies to **Apigee** and **Apigee hybrid**.*\n\n\n*View [Apigee Edge](https://docs.apigee.com/api-platform/get-started/what-apigee-edge) documentation.*\n\nYou can develop and test your Apigee APIs and API proxies in a local environment using\nCloud Code. Cloud Code is an extension that integrates your Apigee API\ndevelopment, testing, and deployment into the\n[Visual Studio Code (VS Code) IDE](https://code.visualstudio.com/),\nincluding verifying the functionality through unit and manual testing using the Apigee Emulator\n(local runtime).\n\nDuring **local development**, use Apigee in Cloud Code to develop your API proxies and verify the functionality\nthrough unit and manual testing using the Apigee Emulator (local runtime).\n\nDuring **archive deployment**, deploy to Apigee for integration testing and release, leveraging an archive that contains the complete environment and API proxy configuration.\n|\n| **Preview\n| --- Archive deployment**\n|\n|\n| This feature is subject to the \"Pre-GA Offerings Terms\" in the General Service Terms section\n| of the [Service Specific Terms](/terms/service-terms#1).\n|\n| Pre-GA features are available \"as is\" and might have limited support.\n|\n| For more information, see the\n| [launch stage descriptions](/products#product-launch-stages).\n\nBenefits of local development with Apigee\n-----------------------------------------\n\nThe benefits of local development with Apigee include:\n\n- [Use Gemini Code Assist](#gemini-apigee-local-dev) for faster API design, development, and management.\n- Quickly iterate through build and test cycles without impact to other dependent applications\n- Create and run repeatable unit tests that verify that the code is producing the intended outcome\n- Identify the set of changes that are deployed as part of a release\n- Track who made changes to a specific deployment\n\nGemini Code Assist for Apigee API management\n--------------------------------------------\n\nApigee can include API assistive functionality for API design and\nmanagement in Cloud Code, with [Gemini Code Assist](/apigee/docs/api-platform/get-started/gemini-code-assist), including:\n\n- Using the @Apigee tool in Gemini Code Assist, generate [OpenAPI specification (OAS), version 3.0](https://github.com/OAI/OpenAPI-Specification/blob/main/versions/3.0.3.md) specs from prompts describing the APIs. Spec development can include contextual information from your Apigee API hub enterprise context to inform spec development.\n- Gemini Code Assist uses your enterprise API hub catalog when generating specifications.\n- View and edit the generated spec.\n- Test the API with mock servers. Use a local mock server for testing in your local development environment. Create a remote mock server for a persistent test service that allows multiple simultaneous developers to test the API.\n- Add APIs to your enterprise API hub catalog.\n- Edit existing OpenAPI specs using prompts by invoking the @Apigee tool in Gemini Code Assist\n- Create an Apigee API proxy from your spec in the local development environment.\n\nTo use this functionality, you must set up Gemini Code Assist for Apigee.\nSee\n[Use Gemini Code Assist with\nCloud Code and Apigee](/apigee/docs/api-platform/local-development/setup#gemini).\n\nPrevented actions with archive deployment\n-----------------------------------------\n\nTo support local development, you must [enable archive deployment](/apigee/docs/api-platform/deploy/manage-archive-deployments#enable-archive-deployment) for an environment in your Apigee organization.\nWhen you enable archive deployment in an Apigee environment, you will be **prevented from performing\ncertain actions within the environment** to prevent conflicts with local development. For complete details, see [Summary of prevented actions with archive deployment](/apigee/docs/api-platform/fundamentals/environments-overview#archive-prevented-actions)."]]
