What is API Documentation
Technical writers deal with different types of documentation. Here is ClickHelp classification:
~ Types of Technical Documentation by ClickHelp
In this article, I want to talk about API documentation — what it is and why it matters.
What is API Documentation?
First of all, let’s make it clear, what API means. API stands for Application Programming Interface. API is a set of tools, communication protocols, and subroutine definitions for building software. Generally speaking, API is a kind of communication channel that allows two separate programs to communicate.
How does it work? API is also a part of your daily life. For example, you need to turn on your TV from a distance. You press the ON/OFF button on remote control and the TV turns on. This is how API works. Radio/infrared waves through which a remote control communicates with a TV set act as an API in this case.
APIs can be divided into three groups:
- Software API
- SCPI (Hardware API)
- WebAPI
Technical writers develop documentation that includes instructions about how to effectively use a hardware (SCPIs), web-API, or software API. Usually, API documentation contains all the information required to work with the API; it also contains details about classes, functions, arguments, and the like, supported by examples and tutorials. API documentation is usually created by means of regular tools and editors. You can examine some popular ones in this article: Software Tools for Technical Writing.
Why does API Documentation Matter?
API documentation is very important because this kind of documentation aims to help clients or users implement API and understand how it works; it opens many doors for platforms and businesses because API documentation makes it easier for users to interact with the code, for example. And good documentation encourages potential clients to buy your service.
So, the main goal of API documentation is to cover everything a client would need to know for practical purposes. API documentation can take many forms from documentation files to forums, Q&A websites, blogs, etc. Unfortunately, not all APIs are easy for implementation, and if you want to document your API, you should not only include basic information but also code snippets, design rationales, typical usage scenarios, what will happen if a client makes wrong steps somewhere along the way, how they can fix some issues, and so on.
Have you ever created API documentation? Was it difficult for you?
How did I become a technical writer? What skills do you need? Read FAQ on Technical Writing.
