What is a good API documentation?

What is a good API documentation?

As such, good documentation should be clear and concise, but also visual, providing the following: A clear explanation of what the method/resource does. Call-outs that share important information with developers, including warnings and errors. A sample call with the correlating media type body.

What are the requirements for document API?

Here’s how to define your API requirements.

1. Understand and clearly articulate the detailed requirements for the API.
2. Make sure there is agreement between key players before development starts.
3. Separate functional from non-functional requirements and develop only to the functional requirements.

What is the standard of documenting rest APIs?

Why use OpenAPI for API documentation. The Swagger Specification, which was renamed to the OpenAPI Specification (OAS), after the Swagger team joined SmartBear and the specification was donated to the OpenAPI Initiative in 2015, has become the de factor standard for defining RESTful APIs.

How do I document a RESTful API?

6 Tips for Documenting RESTful APIs

1. Help yourself when you code. Good design decisions make it easier to document your APIs.
2. Document from a user’s perspective.
3. Don’t put URIs front and center.
4. Write in a writing tool.
5. Generate examples automatically and combine them with your explanations.
6. Plan for the future.

What is API documentation example?

API documentation is a technical content deliverable, containing instructions about how to effectively use and integrate with an API. API description formats like the OpenAPI/Swagger Specification have automated the documentation process, making it easier for teams to generate and maintain them.

What does API documentation mean?

API documentation, also known as Programmers documentation, is a deliverable of technical writing in which a technical writer develops instructions about how to effectively use a software API, hardware (SCPIs) or web-API. What is an API? API is an acronym which stands for Application Programming Interface.

What is the best API documentation tool?

Top 3 Free API Documentation Tools

• Why API Documentation Matters.
• OpenAPI To The Rescue.
• OpenAPI support comparison.
• #1 – The Free API Documentation Tool With Impeccable Branding Options: ReDoc.ly.
• #2. Swagger UI – The Direct Descendent of OpenAPI.
• #3.
• The Best Free API Documentation Tool – Conclusion.

What is API documentation called?

API documentation, also known as Programmers documentation, is a deliverable of technical writing in which a technical writer develops instructions about how to effectively use a software API, hardware (SCPIs) or web-API.

What is API format?

The format is similar to the standard HTTP message transmission format. In practice, you create, send, and receive HTTP messages by using APIs supplied by an HTTP client library specific to your chosen programming language.

What is the use of API documentation?

API documentation is technical content that documents the API. It includes instructions on how to effectively use and integrate the API. It also provides updates on the API’s lifecycle such as new versions or retirement. Some aspects of API documentation can be generated automatically via Swagger or other documents.

Which tool is used for API documentation?

Swagger UI is a popular tool for creating interactive API documentation. Users input an OpenAPI Specification (OAS) document, and Swagger UI formats it using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to create great looking documentation.

How are the standards developed by the API?

API standards are developed under API’s American National Standards Institute accredited process, ensuring that the API standards are recognized not only for their technical rigor but also their third-party accreditation which facilitates acceptance by state, federal, and increasingly international regulators.

When do you need to use GeoJSON in an API?

You should use GeoJSON for the exchange of location information. The Unicode Transformation Format (UTF-8) standard is mandatory for use in government when encoding text or other textual representations of data. Configure APIs to respond to ‘requests’ for data rather than ‘sending’ or ‘pushing’ data.

How to write API documentation for PHP code?

How to write documentation for PHP code so that the API module can successfully parse it and display it on http://api.drupal.org (and other similar sites).

What are the standards for Drupal API documentation?

This section contains standards related to all API docblocks. All documentation and comments should form proper sentences, use proper grammar and punctuation, and generally follow the same style guidelines as Drupal.org content: http://drupal.org/style-guide/content