4 Tips for Good API Documentation

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4 Tips for Good API Documentation

Hi everyone, I’m Pooja from the Postman Developer Relations team.

We all know that bad API documentation can feel like IKEA instructions written by someone who doesn’t want you to succeed. But good documentation can turn confused developers into confident users in just minutes. :toolbox:

In my latest video, I walk through how to create clear, effective API documentation for a real API using Postman, and share my top four techniques that you can start applying right away.

:movie_camera: Watch it here: 4 Tips for Good API Documentation

Why It Matters

There’s one golden rule I always come back to:

Your APIs are only as good as your documentation.

Great documentation reduces support tickets, improves developer onboarding, and makes your API something people want to use and recommend. In the video, I show how to make that happen with Postman from setup to publishing.

What I Cover

Here’s a quick look at the four techniques I demonstrate:

  1. Choose Your Starting Point
    Start API-first with an OpenAPI spec or collection-first with requests. I show how to import a spec into Postman’s Spec Hub and generate documentation instantly.

  2. Document as You Build
    Use Agent Mode to add examples, notes, and descriptions in real time — turning your workspace into living documentation.

  3. Organize Like a Pro
    Create folders for clarity, add both success and error examples, and use environment variables for dynamic, testable docs.
    Pro tip: Don’t skip Postman’s Good API Documentation Checklist before publishing — it’s a great quality control step for your documentation.

  4. Ship With Confidence
    Learn how to publish to a hosted URL, share on the Public API Network, or even create an interactive Quick Start Guide with Postman Notebooks.

Try It Yourself

Pick one endpoint from your API and document it using this process — you’ll quickly see how much smoother the developer experience becomes.

I’d love to hear from you:
What’s the most confusing or poorly written API documentation you’ve encountered? Share your stories and lessons learned below.

Can’t wait to hear your experiences and see how you’re improving your own API docs!

:link: Watch the full video: 4 Tips for Good API Documentation

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Thanks for sharing these amazing insights, Pooja! :raising_hands: Indeed, API documentation is a crucial part of any project, especially now that the demand for APIs by AI agents has significantly increased. Well-written, industry-standard documentation is essential for usability and accessing APIs by AI Agents.

In my experience, API docs are generally confusing when I can’t seamlessly test example requests or figure out how authentication works. Clear examples and straightforward setup instructions make all the difference :slight_smile: