API Design for Interoperability and Reuse Designing APIs with interoperability and reuse in mind helps teams work together across services and partners. A well-made API acts like a clear contract: it states what is offered, what is required, and how it can evolve over time. Start with a simple surface and let it grow as needs spread.
Key ideas to guide choices:
Contracts that stick. Define a stable surface: resources, names, and supported operations. Favor predictable, idempotent actions and avoid rush changes to core endpoints. Clear data models. Use explicit schemas and documented field meanings. Specify required fields, defaults, units, and allowed values to reduce guesswork. Versioning that respects consumers. Use semantic versioning and communicate deprecations early. Provide migration notes and a stable path to newer versions. Discoverability through good docs. Include human-friendly descriptions, examples, and a machine-readable spec (for example OpenAPI). Show common request/response patterns and error formats. Consistency across the board. Apply uniform naming, error payloads, and response shapes. A consistent design makes it easier to reuse components and build new ones quickly. Practical patterns you can apply:
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