I've spent time on both sides of the API divide – consuming as a mobile dev and producing as a backend dev. This experience crystallized a key principle: share specifications, not execution details. I've written about how this plays out in the real world, especially when juggling tools like Swagger and Postman.
The post covers
- The inherent tension between Swagger's spec-focused approach and Postman's execution flexibility
- Real-world consequences of over-sharing execution details in API documentation
- How our team adapted our API development process to better adhere to this principle
- Thoughts on what an ideal API documentation tool might look like, combining the strengths of both approaches
I'm curious to hear from the HN community: How do you balance sharing API specs without getting bogged down in execution details? Have you found effective ways to use Swagger and Postman (or other tools) together?
The post covers - The inherent tension between Swagger's spec-focused approach and Postman's execution flexibility - Real-world consequences of over-sharing execution details in API documentation - How our team adapted our API development process to better adhere to this principle - Thoughts on what an ideal API documentation tool might look like, combining the strengths of both approaches
I'm curious to hear from the HN community: How do you balance sharing API specs without getting bogged down in execution details? Have you found effective ways to use Swagger and Postman (or other tools) together?