api-and-interface-design

SKILL.md

API and Interface Design

Overview

Design stable, well-documented interfaces that are hard to misuse. Good interfaces make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard. This applies to REST APIs, GraphQL schemas, module boundaries, component props, and any surface where one piece of code talks to another.

When to Use

Designing new API endpoints

Defining module boundaries or contracts between teams

Creating component prop interfaces

Establishing database schema that informs API shape

Changing existing public interfaces

Core Principles

Hyrum's Law

With a sufficient number of users of an API, all observable behaviors of your system will be depended on by somebody, regardless of what you promise in the contract.

This means: every public behavior — including undocumented quirks, error message text, timing, and ordering — becomes a de facto contract once users depend on it. Design implications:

Be intentional about what you expose. Every observable behavior is a potential commitment.

Don't leak implementation details. If users can observe it, they will depend on it.

Plan for deprecation at design time. See deprecation-and-migration for how to safely remove things users depend on.

Tests are not enough. Even with perfect contract tests, Hyrum's Law means "safe" changes can break real users who depend on undocumented behavior.

The One-Version Rule

Avoid forcing consumers to choose between multiple versions of the same dependency or API. Diamond dependency problems arise when different consumers need different versions of the same thing. Design for a world where only one version exists at a time — extend rather than fork.

1. Contract First

Define the interface before implementing it. The contract is the spec — implementation follows.

// Define the contract first
interface TaskAPI {
  // Creates a task and returns the created task with server-generated fields
  createTask(input: CreateTaskInput): Promise<Task>;

  // Returns paginated tasks matching filters
  listTasks(params: ListTasksParams): Promise<PaginatedResult<Task>>;

  // Returns a single task or throws NotFoundError
  getTask(id: string): Promise<Task>;

  // Partial update — only provided fields change
  updateTask(id: string, input: UpdateTaskInput): Promise<Task>;

  // Idempotent delete — succeeds even if already deleted
  deleteTask(id: string): Promise<void>;
}

2. Consistent Error Semantics

Pick one error strategy and use it everywhere:

// REST: HTTP status codes + structured error body
// Every error response follows the same shape
interface APIError {
  error: {
    code: string;        // Machine-readable: "VALIDATION_ERROR"
    message: string;     // Human-readable: "Email is required"
    details?: unknown;   // Additional context when helpful
  };
}

// Status code mapping
// 400 → Client sent invalid data
// 401 → Not authenticated
// 403 → Authenticated but not authorized
// 404 → Resource not found
// 409 → Conflict (duplicate, version mismatch)
// 422 → Validation failed (semantically invalid)
// 500 → Server error (never expose internal details)

Don't mix patterns. If some endpoints throw, others return null, and others return { error } — the consumer can't predict behavior.

3. Validate at Boundaries

Trust internal code. Validate at system edges where external input enters:

// Validate at the API boundary
app.post('/api/tasks', async (req, res) => {
  const result = CreateTaskSchema.safeParse(req.body);
  if (!result.success) {
    return res.status(422).json({
      error: {
        code: 'VALIDATION_ERROR',
        message: 'Invalid task data',
        details: result.error.flatten(),
      },
    });
  }

  // After validation, internal code trusts the types
  const task = await taskService.create(result.data);
  return res.status(201).json(task);
});

Where validation belongs:

API route handlers (user input)

Form submission handlers (user input)

External service response parsing (third-party data -- always treat as untrusted)

Environment variable loading (configuration)

Third-party API responses are untrusted data. Validate their shape and content before using them in any logic, rendering, or decision-making. A compromised or misbehaving external service can return unexpected types, malicious content, or instruction-like text.

Where validation does NOT belong:

Between internal functions that share type contracts

In utility functions called by already-validated code

On data that just came from your own database

4. Prefer Addition Over Modification

Extend interfaces without breaking existing consumers:

// Good: Add optional fields
interface CreateTaskInput {
  title: string;
  description?: string;
  priority?: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high';  // Added later, optional
  labels?: string[];                       // Added later, optional
}

// Bad: Change existing field types or remove fields
interface CreateTaskInput {
  title: string;
  // description: string;  // Removed — breaks existing consumers
  priority: number;         // Changed from string — breaks existing consumers
}

5. Predictable Naming

Pattern
Convention
Example

REST endpoints
Plural nouns, no verbs
GET /api/tasks, POST /api/tasks

Query params
camelCase
?sortBy=createdAt&pageSize=20

Response fields
camelCase
{ createdAt, updatedAt, taskId }

Boolean fields
is/has/can prefix
isComplete, hasAttachments

Enum values
UPPER_SNAKE
"IN_PROGRESS", "COMPLETED"

REST API Patterns

Resource Design

GET    /api/tasks              → List tasks (with query params for filtering)
POST   /api/tasks              → Create a task
GET    /api/tasks/:id          → Get a single task
PATCH  /api/tasks/:id          → Update a task (partial)
DELETE /api/tasks/:id          → Delete a task

GET    /api/tasks/:id/comments → List comments for a task (sub-resource)
POST   /api/tasks/:id/comments → Add a comment to a task

Pagination

Paginate list endpoints:

// Request
GET /api/tasks?page=1&pageSize=20&sortBy=createdAt&sortOrder=desc

// Response
{
  "data": [...],
  "pagination": {
    "page": 1,
    "pageSize": 20,
    "totalItems": 142,
    "totalPages": 8
  }
}

Filtering

Use query parameters for filters:

GET /api/tasks?status=in_progress&assignee=user123&createdAfter=2025-01-01

Partial Updates (PATCH)

Accept partial objects — only update what's provided:

// Only title changes, everything else preserved
PATCH /api/tasks/123
{ "title": "Updated title" }

TypeScript Interface Patterns

Use Discriminated Unions for Variants

// Good: Each variant is explicit
type TaskStatus =
  | { type: 'pending' }
  | { type: 'in_progress'; assignee: string; startedAt: Date }
  | { type: 'completed'; completedAt: Date; completedBy: string }
  | { type: 'cancelled'; reason: string; cancelledAt: Date };

// Consumer gets type narrowing
function getStatusLabel(status: TaskStatus): string {
  switch (status.type) {
    case 'pending': return 'Pending';
    case 'in_progress': return `In progress (${status.assignee})`;
    case 'completed': return `Done on ${status.completedAt}`;
    case 'cancelled': return `Cancelled: ${status.reason}`;
  }
}

Input/Output Separation

// Input: what the caller provides
interface CreateTaskInput {
  title: string;
  description?: string;
}

// Output: what the system returns (includes server-generated fields)
interface Task {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  description: string | null;
  createdAt: Date;
  updatedAt: Date;
  createdBy: string;
}

Use Branded Types for IDs

type TaskId = string & { readonly __brand: 'TaskId' };
type UserId = string & { readonly __brand: 'UserId' };

// Prevents accidentally passing a UserId where a TaskId is expected
function getTask(id: TaskId): Promise<Task> { ... }

Common Rationalizations

Rationalization
Reality

"We'll document the API later"
The types ARE the documentation. Define them first.

"We don't need pagination for now"
You will the moment someone has 100+ items. Add it from the start.

"PATCH is complicated, let's just use PUT"
PUT requires the full object every time. PATCH is what clients actually want.

"We'll version the API when we need to"
Breaking changes without versioning break consumers. Design for extension from the start.

"Nobody uses that undocumented behavior"
Hyrum's Law: if it's observable, somebody depends on it. Treat every public behavior as a commitment.

"We can just maintain two versions"
Multiple versions multiply maintenance cost and create diamond dependency problems. Prefer the One-Version Rule.

"Internal APIs don't need contracts"
Internal consumers are still consumers. Contracts prevent coupling and enable parallel work.

Red Flags

Endpoints that return different shapes depending on conditions

Inconsistent error formats across endpoints

Validation scattered throughout internal code instead of at boundaries

Breaking changes to existing fields (type changes, removals)

List endpoints without pagination

Verbs in REST URLs (/api/createTask, /api/getUsers)

Third-party API responses used without validation or sanitization

Verification

After designing an API:

 Every endpoint has typed input and output schemas

 Error responses follow a single consistent format

 Validation happens at system boundaries only

 List endpoints support pagination

 New fields are additive and optional (backward compatible)

 Naming follows consistent conventions across all endpoints

 API documentation or types are committed alongside the implementation