API designs have emerged into formal data model approaches. They may formally define the APIs using markdown or JSON, allowing one to describe the interfaces and models. In this manner, it facilitates communication, provides a way to mock API designs, test a specification, as well as have a maintainable documentation. In a semantic web scenario, JSON-LD may even provide a more formal approach for understanding linked resources in a flexible manner. A few popular API design approaches are mentioned below.
- API Blueprint - life cycle documentation of APIs with plenty of tooling
- Swagger - A specification framework for producing, describing, consuming, and visualizing services with active documentation.
- RAML - a modeling language for RESTful services for describing APIs in a formal way for reuse, discovery, sharing, as well as utilizing extensible best practices.
- HAL - easy way to hyperlink between resources in APIs using hypermedia
