API Documentation
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
API documentation is the instruction manual for your API. It tells other developers what endpoints exist, what data to send, and what they'll get back. Good API docs are the difference between developers loving your API and rage-quitting at 2 AM.
Real Talk
API documentation describes an API's endpoints, authentication, request/response formats, error codes, rate limits, and usage examples. It can be auto-generated from code (FastAPI, JSDoc) or written manually (Notion, ReadMe). Interactive documentation (Swagger UI, Redoc) lets developers test endpoints directly.
When You'll Hear This
"The API docs are at /docs — you can test every endpoint there." / "Nobody will use your API if the documentation is garbage."
Related Terms
Endpoint
An endpoint is a specific URL that your API listens on for requests.
OpenAPI
OpenAPI is a standard way to describe your REST API in a YAML or JSON file.
REST (Representational State Transfer)
REST is a set of rules for how APIs should behave. Think of it as the etiquette guide for servers and clients talking to each other.
Swagger
Swagger is the old name for OpenAPI, plus the suite of tools around it.