The Design of Web APIs

6 Designing a predictable API

This chapter covers

• Being consistent to create intuitive APIs
• Adding features to simplify use and adapt to users
• Adding metadata and metagoals to guide users

In the previous chapter, we started our journey to learn how to build usable APIs and discovered fundamental principles we can use to create straightforward APIs that are easy to understand and easy to use. This is good—we now know how to design a decent API. But we can do better. What about designing an awesome API? What about designing an API that users will be able to use instinctively without thinking about it, even if it is the very first time they’re using it? How can we do that?

Have you ever felt tremendous pleasure when using an unfamiliar object ...