diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 889d38a5bd..43ed93388a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 /bin/plovr*.jar
 /build/OpenLayers.js
 /build/ol3.js
+/build/ol3-api.js
 /build/ol3-compiled.js
 /demos/*/advanced-optimizations.*
 /demos/*/debug.html
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7157ab6584..bd57db5f09 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 PLOVR_JAR=bin/plovr-4b3caf2b7d84.jar
 SRC = $(shell find externs src/ol -name \*.js)
+API = $(shell find src/api -name \*.js)
 TARGETS = $(shell find demos -name advanced-optimizations.js -o -name simple-optimizations.js)
 comma := ,
 empty :=
@@ -9,7 +10,13 @@ space := $(empty) $(empty)
 all: build demos webgl-debug.js
 
 .PHONY: build
-build: build/ol3-compiled.js
+build: build/ol3-api.js build/ol3-compiled.js
+
+build/ol3-api.js: $(PLOVR_JAR) $(SRC) base.json \
+	build/ol3-api.json src/api/api.js
+	java -jar $(PLOVR_JAR) build build/ol3-api.json >$@
+	@echo $@ "uncompressed:" $$(wc -c <$@) bytes
+	@echo $@ "  compressed:" $$(gzip -9 -c <$@ | wc -c) bytes
 
 build/ol3-compiled.js: $(PLOVR_JAR) $(SRC) base.json \
 	build/ol3.json build/ol3.js
@@ -55,11 +62,11 @@ demos/side-by-side/simple-optimizations.js: $(PLOVR_JAR) $(SRC) base.json \
 
 .PHONY: serve
 serve: $(PLOVR_JAR)
-	java -jar $(PLOVR_JAR) serve build/ol3.json demos/*/*.json
+	java -jar $(PLOVR_JAR) serve build/ol3.json build/ol3-api.json demos/*/*.json
 
 .PHONY: lint
 lint:
-	gjslint --strict --limited_doc_files=$(subst $(space),$(comma),$(shell find externs -name \*.js)) $(SRC) $(filter-out $(TARGETS),$(shell find demos -name \*.js))
+	gjslint --strict --limited_doc_files=$(subst $(space),$(comma),$(shell find externs -name \*.js)) $(SRC) $(API) $(filter-out $(TARGETS),$(shell find demos -name \*.js))
 
 webgl-debug.js:
 	curl https://cvs.khronos.org/svn/repos/registry/trunk/public/webgl/sdk/debug/webgl-debug.js > $@
diff --git a/build/ol3-api.json b/build/ol3-api.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f45d301498
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/ol3-api.json
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+
+  "id": "ol3-api",
+
+  "inherits": "../base.json",
+
+  "inputs": "src/api/api.js"
+
+}
diff --git a/src/api/api.js b/src/api/api.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d01d3c23bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/api/api.js
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+goog.provide('ol3');
+goog.provide('ol3.layer');
+
+goog.require('goog.dom');
+goog.require('ol.Coordinate');
+goog.require('ol.Layer');
+goog.require('ol.Map');
+goog.require('ol.Projection');
+goog.require('ol.createMap');
+goog.require('ol.layer.OpenStreetMap');
+
+
+goog.exportSymbol('ol3', ol3);
+
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {Array.<number>|ol.Coordinate|{x: number, y: number}}
+ */
+ol3.Coordinate;
+
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {Array.<ol.Layer>|ol.Collection}
+ */
+ol3.Layers;
+
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {{center: (ol3.Coordinate|undefined),
+ *            layers: (ol3.Layers|undefined),
+ *            renderTo: (Element|string|undefined),
+ *            resolution: (number|undefined),
+ *            zoom: (number|undefined)}}
+ */
+ol3.MapOptions;
+
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {ol.Projection|string}
+ */
+ol3.Projection;
+
+
+/**
+ * @param {ol3.Coordinate} coordinate Coordinate.
+ * @return {ol.Coordinate} Coordinate.
+ */
+ol3.coordinate = function(coordinate) {
+  if (coordinate instanceof ol.Coordinate) {
+    return coordinate;
+  } else if (goog.isArray(coordinate)) {
+    var array = /** @type {Array.<number>} */ coordinate;
+    return new ol.Coordinate(array[1], array[0]);
+  } else if (goog.isObject(coordinate)) {
+    var object = /** @type {{x: number, y: number}} */ coordinate;
+    return new ol.Coordinate(object.x, object.y);
+  } else {
+    return null;
+  }
+};
+goog.exportProperty(ol3, 'coordinate', ol3.coordinate);
+
+
+goog.exportProperty(ol3, 'layer', ol3.layer);
+
+
+/**
+ * @return {ol.Layer} Layer.
+ */
+ol3.layer.osm = function() {
+  return new ol.layer.OpenStreetMap();
+};
+goog.exportProperty(ol3.layer, 'osm', ol3.layer.osm);
+
+
+/**
+ * @param {ol3.Layers} layers Layers.
+ * @return {ol.Collection} Layers.
+ */
+ol3.layers = function(layers) {
+  if (layers instanceof ol.Collection) {
+    return layers;
+  } else if (goog.isArray(layers)) {
+    return new ol.Collection(layers);
+  } else {
+    return null;
+  }
+};
+goog.exportProperty(ol3, 'layers', ol3.layers);
+
+
+/**
+ * @param {ol3.MapOptions=} opt_mapOptions Options.
+ * @return {ol.Map} Map.
+ */
+ol3.map = function(opt_mapOptions) {
+  var options = opt_mapOptions || {};
+  var center = ol3.coordinate(/** @type {ol3.Coordinate} */
+      (goog.object.get(options, 'center', null)));
+  var layers = ol3.layers(/** @type {ol3.Layers} */
+      (goog.object.get(options, 'layers', null)));
+  var projection = ol3.projection(/** @type {ol3.Projection} */
+      (goog.object.get(options, 'projection', 'EPSG:3857')));
+  var resolution = /** @type {number|undefined} */
+      goog.object.get(options, 'resolution');
+  if (!goog.isDef(resolution) && goog.object.containsKey(options, 'zoom')) {
+    var zoom = /** @type {number} */ goog.object.get(options, 'zoom');
+    resolution = ol.Projection.EPSG_3857_HALF_SIZE / (128 << zoom);
+  }
+  var target = goog.dom.getElement(/** @type {Element|string} */
+      (goog.object.get(options, 'renderTo', 'map')));
+  var userProjection = ol3.projection(/** @type {ol3.Projection} */
+      (goog.object.get(options, 'userProjection', 'EPSG:4326')));
+  var map = ol.createMap(target, {
+    'layers': layers,
+    'projection': projection,
+    'resolution': resolution,
+    'userProjection': userProjection
+  });
+  if (!goog.isNull(center)) {
+    map.setUserCenter(center);
+  }
+  return map;
+};
+goog.exportProperty(ol3, 'map', ol3.map);
+
+
+/**
+ * @param {ol3.Projection} projection Projection.
+ * @return {ol.Projection} Projection.
+ */
+ol3.projection = function(projection) {
+  if (projection instanceof ol.Projection) {
+    return projection;
+  } else if (goog.isString(projection)) {
+    var code = /** @type {string} */ projection;
+    return ol.Projection.getFromCode(code);
+  } else {
+    return null;
+  }
+};
+goog.exportProperty(ol3, 'projection', ol3.projection);