System and method of automating client development for an application programming interface (API). An embodiment includes an apparatus capable of receiving information regarding a target application resource accessible by an API, and of generating a selected sequence of API calls based on weighted transitions in an API model representing resources needed for a client to perform interactions with the API. The apparatus is able to automatically generate a client program for interacting with the API according to a sequence of API calls. Additionally, methods are described for converting a model of an API into a directed, weighted graph, allowing determination of a selected sequence of API calls to access a target application resource. The API may be a Representational State Transfer API (REST API) implemented for a software defined network (SDN).