api-designer

REST API design establishes consistent naming conventions for endpoints, applies correct HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), and uses appropriate status codes. This skill guides you through endpoint structure, resource hierarchies, and semantic correctness to ensure APIs are predictable and integrate cleanly across services.

An OpenAPI specification is a machine-readable contract that documents your API's endpoints, request/response schemas, and parameters. It eliminates miscommunication between teams, enables automated client generation, and provides a single source of truth for API governance and versioning.

OpenAPI 3.0 specifications scaffold your API structure by defining resources, CRUD operations, request/response schemas, and reusable components. This skill provides templates and validation patterns to build production-ready specs that enforce correct endpoint design and schema consistency.

Yes. OpenAPI enables API governance by documenting versioning practices, changelog maintenance, and schema evolution rules. This skill covers governance workflows that enforce naming conventions, validate schema changes, and maintain backward compatibility across API versions.

Correct API design follows REST principles, HTTP semantics, and OpenAPI standards upfront; quick design often skips governance and versioning. This skill prevents integration issues and miscommunication by enforcing best practices during design, not retrofitting them later.

Understanding REST fundamentals helps, but this skill covers endpoint naming, HTTP methods, and status codes alongside OpenAPI scaffolding. You learn design principles and specification together, so prior OpenAPI experience is not required to start.