1. A method comprising: in response to a request to identify a first networking component, selecting a first application programming interface (API) signature from a plurality of API signatures within a first priority list that associates the first API signature with a corresponding first API type and that maps the plurality of API signatures to a respective priority, wherein the first API signature includes a first characteristic; testing a first API implemented by the first networking component to determine whether the first API exhibits the first characteristic; and determining that the first networking component implements the first API type based on determining that the first API exhibits the first characteristic; in response to determining that the first API exhibits the first characteristic, selecting a second API signature from the plurality of API signatures, wherein the second API signature is a child API signature of the first API signature that includes a second characteristic; determining that the first API exhibits the second characteristic; in response to determining that the first API exhibits the second characteristic, determining that the second API signature does not have a child API signature; and indicating that the first networking component implements the first API in response to determining that the first API exhibits the first characteristic and that the second API signature does not have a child API signature.