API And Interface Design

API and Interface Design

Contract-first design for HTTP APIs, GraphQL, CLI surfaces, and library module boundaries. Complements secure-api-design (security) and agent-tool-contracts (LLM tools) with general interface ergonomics and evolution rules.

When to use

• New public or cross-team API
• Breaking-change review
• Designing pagination, filtering, idempotency, or error shapes

When not to use

• Internal refactor with no boundary change
• Security-only audit (use secure-api-design)
• Agent tool schema only (use agent-tool-contracts)

Design checklist

Contract

• Resource naming consistent (nouns, plural collections)
• Versioning strategy documented (URL prefix, header, or additive-only)
• Request/response schemas with examples for happy path + common errors
• Idempotency keys for mutating operations where retries matter

Errors

• Stable machine-readable codes separate from human messages
• HTTP/status mapping documented; no stack traces in client responses
• Validation errors: field-level detail when safe (no PII leakage)

Pagination and lists

• Cursor-based preferred for large/live datasets; offset only when bounded
• Default and max page size documented
• Sort/filter params explicit; reject unknown params predictably

Compatibility

• Additive changes only in minor versions
• Deprecation headers or sunset dates for removals
• Consumer migration notes in changelog

Observability

• Correlation/request IDs in responses or logs
• Rate-limit headers where applicable

Workflow

1. Draft resource model and primary use cases
2. Write example requests/responses (including errors)
3. Run doubt-driven-review or secure-api-design for high-risk surfaces
4. Implement with tests locked to contract examples

Output

• Short design note or OpenAPI/GraphQL schema sketch
• Compatibility and deprecation table if evolving an existing API