Open Web Comics
Open Web Comics
A simple, open standard for publishing webcomic archives — so any client can read any comic, from any server.
Open
No vendor lock-in. Any server that serves the API can be added to any client that speaks it.
Standard
A versioned JSON API with a formal schema contract. Clients and servers agree on the same shapes.
Static-friendly
Designed to work as static JSON files on a CDN — no live server required for read-only access.
What is it?
Open Web Comics is a specification for a simple REST API that describes webcomic archives: the comics available, their pages, and how those pages are organised into chapters or acts (groups). A server that implements the spec can be added as a registry in any compatible reader app.
The standard is deliberately minimal. A compliant registry implements six endpoints covering version identity, comic listing and detail, pages, groups, and single-page navigation. Implementors can rely on all of them being present.
Why does it exist?
Webcomic readers can often be tightly coupled to specific sites. Open Web Comics decouples the reader from the source, letting creators publish their archive once in a standard format and have it work with any app that supports the spec.