There’s a reason technical documentation is usually not written by developers themselves – it’s the job of technical writers, experts in translating tech aspects into a readable format. Source: Pawel PsztycĪlternative to traditional API doc solutions like WordPress or Drupal CMSs, API spec products are open source, created by the dev community for the dev community, have parsers in different programming languages, and enjoy constant creator support. We’ll touch more on specifications and tools in a bit.ĪPI Console lets you build a web portal for your API docs from RAML and OpenAPI specifications. For example, API Console automatically generates docs from RAML and OpenAPI formats and helps you run it on your existing web application or as a standalone app. These specs have prebuilt documentation tools that allow for writing and managing your docs. Still, there’s a trend toward combining all specs under the hood of OpenAPI. There are a few specifications, such as RAML (RESTful API Modeling Language), OpenAPI, and API Blueprint. In SDD, you create docs or some parts of it in parallel with building an API, often following a certain API description format called a specification.Īn API specification is like a template for your future API the unified language that describes the design of your API explains how it functions and what to expect from it. Spec-driven development (SDD) is similar to test-driven development in which you write test cases for each feature and then code that should pass them. So how do you write great API docs? Adopt spec-driven development But API docs deserve a dedicated article. If you’re interested, we’ve already outlined specifics of technical documentation in general. Because poorly written docs or the ones that can’t be found by simply googling “Product API” are failing the whole development effort. Creating good docs is almost as important as building a good API. ![]() It’s too long/can’t be found/inaccurate/hasn’t been updated in years, etc. It only frustrates the people who want to know what your API does before deciding if they want it (as any sane person would). ![]() This not-so-slick maneuver does nothing for your marketing. This is another end of the spectrum where explanations are abundant, but there are minimal examples of the actual code. Although many documentation generation tools are doing a great job at commenting on the code, they cannot replace actual explanations in English written by a developer or technical writer. This is a common problem for auto-generated docs or docs that are neglected by creators. It’s not written using simple human language. Here are some common issues devs have with API docs. If they don’t like an API, it’s mostly because of junky docs, even if the product is great. It’s specifically passionate about the things they don’t like. It describes requests, responses, error messages, and other essential details. What API documentation is and things developers hate about itĪPI documentation is a guide on how to integrate and work with a given application programming interface. But first, we need to understand what makes bad API docs. Today we will talk about how to foster positive developer experience in API documentation. Watch this video for an introduction to API documentation And it starts at the exact moment they open the documentation for the first time. ![]() APIs that help developers succeed and are a joy to deal with will get tons of users and rise above the competition. In the API economy, great developer experience is fundamental. How clear, easy, useful, and supported your API is determines the whole developer experience (DX) – an emotional response devs have to the product. Working with them, by some estimates, 10+ hours a week, for researching, googling for support, studying reviews, and rummaging around in the documentation. Developers and other professionals use APIs almost daily. Who writes API documentation? Reading time: 10 minutesĪPIs make the world go round.What API documentation is and things developers hate about it.
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