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Ask HN: What is the best API documentation you have ever seen?

67 pointsby enjayzover 6 years ago

32 comments

cjbprimeover 6 years ago
Stripe API docs. There have probably been many past threads about this.
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dccoolgaiover 6 years ago
Lodash.js every single piece is explained with complete lucidity, and even if it weren't the examples are concise and illustrative.
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jayfluxover 6 years ago
I do like the PostgreSQL docs, they have a human feel to them and I usually get the answer I want pretty quickly.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.postgresql.org&#x2F;docs&#x2F;10&#x2F;static&#x2F;index.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.postgresql.org&#x2F;docs&#x2F;10&#x2F;static&#x2F;index.html</a>
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greenyouseover 6 years ago
Stripe is probably the best but I think Twilio is a close second. For both the page designs are easy to read, there are clear examples (some are even interactive), and the sites are easy to navigate.
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chrisco255over 6 years ago
Auth0&#x27;s is pretty damn good. Clear docs, inline sample code...Auth0 even inlines your credentials into the example code if you&#x27;re logged in.<p>[1] Auth0 - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;auth0.com&#x2F;docs&#x2F;api&#x2F;authentication" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;auth0.com&#x2F;docs&#x2F;api&#x2F;authentication</a>
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dividuumover 6 years ago
I really like the Lua reference manual. All on a single page (e.g. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lua.org&#x2F;manual&#x2F;5.3&#x2F;manual.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lua.org&#x2F;manual&#x2F;5.3&#x2F;manual.html</a>), covers the complete syntax&#x2F;semantic of the language, a few concepts as well as its Lua and C embedding APIs. All without bells and whistles. It surely helps that it&#x27;s a relatively easy language. While I learned Lua, I basically never had to look anywhere else for information. I guess that&#x27;s what a good documentation is supposed to aim for.
theWheezover 6 years ago
Surprised I don&#x27;t see Django here. I&#x27;m always relieved to come back to a django codebase, that is the best documentation on any project or framework I&#x27;ve used.
dasmothover 6 years ago
Possibly depends what you mean by &quot;API&quot;, but I really like the SQLite documentation with its graphical representations of the query syntax.
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Jeff_Brownover 6 years ago
Not an API, but the documentation for Haskell libraries is unbelievably good. Here&#x27;s an example[1]. This documentation is generated automatically from source code, optionally decorated with comments using a simple syntax called Haddock[2]. Any package, whether it&#x27;s built into the Haskell Platform or contributed by a user, has the same kind of documentation. Even if the author includes no Haddock comments, the documentation will include the type signatures, the hyperlinking, the instance lists, and other goodies like the minimal set of functions needed to define an instance of a class.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;hackage.haskell.org&#x2F;package&#x2F;base-4.11.1.0&#x2F;docs&#x2F;Data-List.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;hackage.haskell.org&#x2F;package&#x2F;base-4.11.1.0&#x2F;docs&#x2F;Data-L...</a> [2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.haskell.org&#x2F;haddock&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.haskell.org&#x2F;haddock&#x2F;</a>
swaggyBoatswainover 6 years ago
Airtable&#x27;s API. Every API document is specific to you, playing around with GET&#x2F;POST&#x2F;PUT&#x2F;PATCH&#x2F;DELETE requests is really straightforward to understand, even for someone that isn&#x27;t familiar with how these requests normally work.<p>The sample json responses are also based on your data too, and the docs showcase what those look like
tiagomaover 6 years ago
Qt docs, python docs, cppreference, code synthesis odb
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anoncoward111over 6 years ago
Side note, how do I volunteer or work part time writing technical documentation?<p>I feel like my writing skills and my ability to make code understandable and explicit to other readers would be a perfecy use for producing great documentation.
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hprotagonistover 6 years ago
The requests package for python is nicely documented: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.python-requests.org&#x2F;en&#x2F;master&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.python-requests.org&#x2F;en&#x2F;master&#x2F;</a>
mtVesselover 6 years ago
It&#x27;s not an &quot;API doc&quot; in the modern sense, but the DEC VMS manuals are the best-written tech docs I have ever seen.
vandershraafover 6 years ago
Not API, but Spark Java (<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;sparkjava.com&#x2F;documentation#getting-started" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;sparkjava.com&#x2F;documentation#getting-started</a>) has one of the best Java framework documentation I&#x27;ve ever seen. Fairly concise + it has almost everything you need to build proper Web application using Java
kencauseyover 6 years ago
Common Lisp HyperSpec - <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lispworks.com&#x2F;documentation&#x2F;HyperSpec&#x2F;Front&#x2F;index.htm" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.lispworks.com&#x2F;documentation&#x2F;HyperSpec&#x2F;Front&#x2F;index...</a><p>My choice is, perhaps, more indicative of taste&#x2F;proclivity than anything else.
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everlierover 6 years ago
EVRYTHNG Platform docs are extremely thorough and versatile. There&#x27;re also lots of guides and examples covering how to work with their platform. Taking into account complexity and amount of abstractions, those are one of the best docs i&#x27;ve ever read.
mcintyre1994over 6 years ago
I really like the Requests quickstart docs: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.python-requests.org&#x2F;en&#x2F;master&#x2F;user&#x2F;quickstart&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.python-requests.org&#x2F;en&#x2F;master&#x2F;user&#x2F;quickstart&#x2F;</a>
htanirsover 6 years ago
I found sonic pi documentation engaging, easy to understand and comprehensive, <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;sonic-pi.net&#x2F;tutorial.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;sonic-pi.net&#x2F;tutorial.html</a>
dave-fover 6 years ago
Back in the day, the documentation for the 3DO seemed great. I was programming on another platform and remember looking at those manuals in envy!
mreomeover 6 years ago
I found the SFML documentation to be one of the few cases where I didn&#x27;t find myself looking for third-party API documentation or tutorials.
mariogintiliover 6 years ago
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.sunlight.is&#x2F;#overview" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.sunlight.is&#x2F;#overview</a>
k0t0n0over 6 years ago
Stripe and the worst one has to be Braintree.
jackgoldingover 6 years ago
plot.ly has quite nice documentation in very good detail - ESPECIALLY their examples using multiple languages
steerpikeover 6 years ago
I still haven&#x27;t found a single API as quick and easy to get started and test with than Flickrs
sarah123edover 6 years ago
The manual that came with the Coherent (Unix) os by the Mark Williams Co.
scarface74over 6 years ago
Boto3 - Amazon’s AWS library for Python.
foobawover 6 years ago
What are people&#x27;s thoughts on Swagger?
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meesterdudeover 6 years ago
i&#x27;ve found highcharts documentation to be really exceptional.
moltarover 6 years ago
Stripe
princebover 6 years ago
MATLAB
pacunaover 6 years ago
AWS CLI APIs in general are very clean and intuitive to follow through their help menus.