What Good API Documentation Contains
Good documentation explains authentication, base URLs, endpoints, parameters, request examples, response examples, errors, pagination, rate limits, webhooks, versioning, and common workflows.
Documentation should answer practical questions: How do I authenticate? How do I create a resource? What happens when validation fails? How do I paginate? How do I retry safely?
Examples are often more useful than prose alone.
Key Takeaways
- Document behavior, not only endpoint names.
- Include realistic examples.
- Document errors and authentication as first-class concepts.