APIs represent a commitment to your partners and users. Upholding this commitment requires adherence to ten foundational rules that ensure security, stability, and scalability.
Human-readable resources paired with consistent verbs form the basis of intuitive API design. Implementing versioning from the outset, along with a compassionate deprecation path, protects existing integrations while allowing for future enhancements. Idempotent write operations ensure that retries remain safe and predictable, enhancing reliability.
Pagination and filters are incorporated to support graceful scaling, accommodating growing data volumes without performance degradation. Authentication is tailored to the task, utilizing OAuth2 or scoped API keys as appropriate. Errors are presented with actionable remediation guidance, moving beyond mere error codes to empower users.
Rate limits are enforced with informative headers and clear back-off recommendations to manage usage effectively. Observability is embedded throughout, with correlation IDs, tracing capabilities, and p95 latency metrics displayed on a regularly monitored dashboard. Documentation includes runnable examples, enabling developers to achieve success with minimal effort.
Finally, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and a transparent status page build trust, ensuring partners have visibility into performance and uptime. Together, these principles create a robust API ecosystem that fosters long-term collaboration.