# Use the OCN Service Interface

## Overview

The OCN Service Interface enables third-party services (such as billing, settlement, location data enrichment) to offer their products to the OCPI community by accessing communication between two OCPI parties on the Open Charging Network without the need for endless API development work. 

This is done using OCN Permissions, and requires no additional integration work to be done by the OCPI parties. 

It reduces the cost for integration work beyond the EV roaming use-case, helping everyone involved climbing the API mountain of Electric Vehicle charging. 

We consider this as crucial to a seamless mass-consumer experience and an efficient EV charging value-chain.

{% hint style="info" %}
A detailed description of the benefits and functionality of the OCN Service Interface can be found on our [Medium blog](https://medium.com/share-charge/third-party-services-for-the-ocpi-community-a-billing-example-3c168177c0a2) (based on a billing example)
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Access the full OCN technical documentation [here](https://shareandcharge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/OCN-Documentation-v1.1.pdf).
{% endhint %}

## Get Started

### **As an OCN Service Provider**

Learn how to connect your OCN Service to the OCN and to define what OCPI-based information your service needs from OCN Parties / Service Users (OCN Permissions). [Get started here.](/legacy-documentation/solutions-2023/open-charging-network/use-the-ocn-service-interface/offer-an-ocn-service.md)

### **As an OCN Party / Service User**

Learn how to sign up for an OCN Service by agreeing to OCN Permissions. [Get started here.](/legacy-documentation/solutions-2023/open-charging-network/use-the-ocn-service-interface/sign-up-for-an-ocn-service.md)

### Demo

To get started with the OCN Service Interface and to see how the above given example works in action, see our OCN Demo. It mocks a full set-up of an Open Charging Network with two OCN Nodes, two CPOs, one eMSP and one billing service and allows developers to run through the scenario outlined in this article. Get started [here](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bitbucket.org/shareandcharge/ocn-demo/src/master/\&sa=D\&ust=1601360333888000\&usg=AFQjCNHDUYxj9zXlhbTFfNT8uFjvE8Yb9A).


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