Your API is a product. It needs to be designed with the same care and attention as any user-facing interface—maybe more, because changing an API is far harder than changing a UI.
Consistency Is King
The best APIs are boring. They follow predictable patterns. Developers should be able to guess endpoint names, response formats, and error codes without reading documentation.
We establish consistency through:
- Resource-based URL structures (/users/123, not /getUser?id=123)
- Standard HTTP methods with semantic meaning
- Uniform response envelopes
- Consistent error handling and status codes
Versioning From Day One
You will need to change your API. Plan for it from the start. We prefer URL versioning (/v1/users) for its clarity, though header-based versioning has its advocates.
The key is maintaining old versions long enough for clients to migrate—but not so long they become a maintenance burden.
Pagination, Filtering, and Sorting
Never return unbounded result sets. Always paginate. Always allow filtering. Sort intelligently by default.
We use cursor-based pagination for large datasets—it's more efficient than offset-based pagination and handles concurrent modifications gracefully.
Rate Limiting and Quotas
Protect your infrastructure with rate limits. Return meaningful headers (X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset) so clients can adapt their behavior.
Documentation That Developers Love
Great APIs have great documentation. We provide:
- Interactive API explorers (Swagger/OpenAPI)
- Code examples in multiple languages
- Comprehensive guides for common use cases
- Clear migration guides for version changes
Observability
You need visibility into how your API is being used. We instrument every endpoint with metrics for latency, error rates, and usage patterns.
This data informs everything from capacity planning to product decisions.
A well-designed API is an asset that compounds in value over time. Invest in getting it right.