api-contract

To maintain backward compatibility during API evolution, apply additive changes by introducing new fields or endpoints without removing existing ones, while establishing a clear deprecation plan for outdated contract elements. This prevents breaking client code across versions.

Keeping OpenAPI and Swagger documentation aligned requires standardizing error handling and status codes across endpoints for predictable client behavior, and systematically updating SDKs and docs to reflect additive contract changes and deprecation plans.

Removing deprecated fields from an API contract risks breaking existing client versions. Instead of immediate removal, enforce additive changes and outline a structured deprecation plan that allows clients sufficient time to synchronize their code across versions.

Standardizing error handling and status codes across API endpoints involves enforcing consistent contract rules for predictable client behavior, ensuring that documentation and SDKs are updated simultaneously to reflect these standardized error responses.

You need to synchronize client code with API contract updates whenever endpoint adjustments or DTO evolution occur. Coordinating these updates alongside OpenAPI documentation and deprecation plans ensures clients maintain consistent interaction with the API.