What is an API document?

API documentation is an explanatory document that describes how to use an API. It is a technical manual that contains information about the services provided by the API, how to use its endpoints and parameters. Apis make it easy for developers to transfer data between software products, and also to capture the functionality of the product and integrate it into other applications without programming. With good API documentation, developers can understand API usage and incorporate it into their use cases, reducing coding barriers.

Why is API documentation important?

API documentation is key to enhancing the developer experience. For users, if the API documentation is properly written, the technical strength and management level of the enterprise should be better. The right API documentation can make it easy for many developers to use, leading to increased adoption of products and services.

For some manufacturing or other traditional industries, API documentation can help most companies make the digital transition. Accessing existing platforms through apis saves time and costs. With good documentation, teams are likely to spend less time responding to customer issues and reduce repetitive activities.

As the business develops, more and more projects support the platform. In order to make the business system more clear, the system business will be split horizontally and vertically layered from the architecture of the whole platform project, generating a series of platforms and subsystems, and using interfaces for data interaction. However, code and documentation mismatches, code interfaces and documentation are not updated in a timely manner, and THE content and form of API documentation are flourishing.

Best practices for writing apis

How to write a good API document requires:

  • Document planning
  • Define the basic content of the API documentation
  • Be consistent and avoid jargon
  • Includes interactive examples and other resources
  • Maintain API documentation

1. Document planning

To write a good API document, you first need to ask a few questions: For whom? What functions? Where to use it?

Before you start writing API documentation, you should know for whom you are creating the documentation. Different audiences mean specialization in the language, structure, and design of the document. With a portrait of the user, you can define the purpose and scope of the API document, that is, to describe the functionality the user needs in words and make the content truly useful to the user. In summary, the key to API documentation is to focus on the user and the user’s needs.

2. Define the basic content of the API documentation

When writing good API documentation, certain parts become necessary. These basics are critical to improving the readability and adoption of the API. They can be customized based on the requirements to be addressed in the document.

  • Revision: In this section, usually on the cover, the date and version of the document should be noted to facilitate subsequent revisions. Need to indicate the version, the reviser, the main revision content and other information.

  • Overview: The overview section helps quickly convey the meaning of the API. It briefly describes the capabilities provided by this interface, the business scenarios covered, the associated system roles, and so on. This helps you quickly understand the interface.

  • Authentication: the API that requires authentication needs to clearly state how access credentials are obtained and how the key is used to issue the request. Because authentication is key to successful API use in the early days of usage, it needs to be set up correctly.

  • Error code and service code: In this section you need to specify the given error code and service code. The error code lists the error code, description, cause, and solution. The service code contains the name, description, and description.

  • Terms of Use: This section acts as a legal agreement outlining how users should ideally use the service. Content can include terms and conditions, best usage, speed limits, and usage limits.

Using Baklib to organize directories, documents are hierarchical and logically structured, giving users and developers a better reading experience.

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3. Be consistent and avoid jargon

Another best practice in API documentation is to maintain consistency in terms used throughout the document. Proofread the document sufficiently to eliminate ambiguity or difficulty in understanding. Terminology in API documentation conforms to industry usage specifications as much as possible. What you want to add to your code is optional, but overusing regular project names can lead to unnecessary confusion.

4. Include interactive examples and other resources

Most importantly, most developers like to be able to test the content in the document and see how it works at any time. If you can include interactive sample code in the most popular programming languages, you can greatly reduce the difficulty of implementing the API. In addition to the documentation provided, providing additional information and resources helps users make the most of API documentation. With the best API documentation tools, it should be easy for users to add or update content. Using Baklib, API documentation can be updated quickly and in a timely manner, and can be published to a website in real time with one click. Also support team coordination, many people can modify and maintain.

5. Maintain API documentation

Keeping documentation accurate and up to date is key to its success. If the API description is out of date, users may become frustrated and lose trust in your service.

Maintain API documentation by:

  • Delete the description of a feature that is not recommended. If a feature has been removed from your API, get the feature from the documentation and explain why you made that decision.
  • If any new features are introduced into the API, be sure to document them correctly and in a timely manner. API documentation can also be versioned to reflect newly added functionality.
  • If any feedback is received, appropriate action needs to be taken to improve the quality of the API documentation. You may not get the documentation right the first time you try it, but if you listen to the feedback, you can improve it over time.

Here is a good API documentation product Bakilb. It can create product manuals, help centers, FAQs, guides, knowledge bases, product introductions, development documents, online manuals, and publish them online.

  • The editing interface is similar to Word, using a rich text editor and Markdown
  • Automatically generate display frame, written documents can be directly synchronized to the website with one click
  • A variety of plug-in functions are free to use, including full text search, user feedback, article data statistics, site navigation, etc
  • Invite multiple members to work together to improve the content of the help document and produce the content efficiently
  • Support visitor data statistics, collect document reading, keyword search frequency, optimization on demand

conclusion

Writing good API documentation is not an easy task. It takes hard work and commitment to drive API growth and adoption. Baklib uses the link: www.baklib.com?utm\_campaign=1&utm\_content=e7734791-1341-4bcf-9271-6da9a65e84dd&utm\_term=55947a3c-9d10-4b67-888d-26796 1053c91