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Programming Concepts Intermediate

What is API Design?

The practice of designing application programming interfaces that are consistent, intuitive, and maintainable for developers to consume.

Good API design follows principles like consistency (uniform naming conventions, error formats), discoverability (logical resource naming, HATEOAS links), versioning (URL path, header, or query parameter strategies), proper HTTP method usage (GET for reads, POST for creates, PUT for updates, DELETE for removes), meaningful status codes, pagination for collections, filtering and sorting parameters, and comprehensive documentation. RESTful conventions, OpenAPI/Swagger specifications, and developer experience (DX) are central concerns. Well-designed APIs reduce integration time, minimize support burden, and enable ecosystem growth.

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A surface indication in code that usually corresponds to a deeper problem in the system, suggesting the need for refactoring.
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