API Documentation: Good, Bad, and Unusable

Documentation is the API's resume. And like resumes, some are polished, some are sloppy, and some make you wonder if anyone actually read it before publishing. Before you commit to an API integration, read the docs. Not to learn the API — to evaluate whether this provider deserves your time. Here's what to look for. The First 30 Seconds Open the documentation. Start a timer. Can you answer these questions in 30 seconds? What does this API do? How do I authenticate? What's the base URL? Show me a basic request and response. If yes: good sign. Someone thought about your experience. If no: warning sign. You'll be piecing things together from scattered pages. If the docs open with a wall of text about the company history, the founder's vision, or a glossary of terms — close the tab. Life is too short. The Quickstart Test Every documentation site has a quickstart or "getting started" section. This is the API's handshake. First impressions matter. Good quickstart: Copy-paste a curl command R