As an API developer, it’s your responsibility to write excellent documentation for your API that’s intuitive and useful. Yet, developers don’t always take code documentation as seriously as they should. In this post, we’ll look at some tools to help you design great API documentation in 2022.

What Is API Documentation, and Why Is It Important?

API documentation is a set of written materials that describe how to use an application programming interface (API). It typically includes information about the functions and classes that make up the API and how to structure requests.

API documentation is necessary because it provides developers with the information they need to use an API effectively. Without documentation, developers would have to reverse-engineer the API to figure out how to use it, which can be time-consuming and difficult. With comprehensive documentation, developers can quickly learn how to use an API and start building applications with it.

In short, API documentation is essential for developers who want to use an API to create applications. It provides them with the information they need to get started and can save them time and effort in the long run.

Postman

Postman makes it easy to design, build, and document your API. Developers also use it to test and debug API calls. The Postman user interface is intuitive and easy to use. The documentation is generated automatically and is always up-to-date.

Some of the key features of Postman include:

• Save and share collections of API calls.
• Generate snippets of code in various programming languages.
• View responses in various formats (e.g. JSON, XML).
• Add comments and notes to API calls.

SwaggerHub

SwaggerHub is a powerful tool that can simplify the process of designing and documenting APIs. It has a wide range of features that make it suitable for use in a variety of different scenarios.

Some of the key features of SwaggerHub include:

• Design APIs using a graphical user interface.
• Automatically generate documentation for APIs.
• Generate client SDKs for APIs.
• Publish APIs to a central repository.

Swagger UI

Swagger UI is a tool that allows users to generate documentation for their API in a simple, efficient way. The documentation is generated from the code itself, making it easy to keep up to date.

Swagger UI also provides several features:

• Swagger UI allows API documentation to be built from various programming languages.
• Ability to change the color scheme and add logos and branding on generated documentation.
• Swagger UI can be hosted on any web server.
• Ability to try out API calls directly from the documentation.

ReDoc

ReDoc is a tool that can be used to automatically generate API documentation from source code. It supports a wide range of programming languages and can be easily integrated into any development workflow. ReDoc also offers a number of features that make it an ideal choice for API documentation.

Some of the key features of ReDoc include:

• Support for multiple programming languages.
• Automatic generation of documentation.
• Easy integration into development workflows.
• A variety of output formats.
• Support for annotations and comments.
• Customizable templates.

Stoplight

Stoplight is a powerful documentation tool that makes it easy to design and manage your API documentation. With Stoplight, you can easily create and manage your API docs in one place and publish them to any number of different formats and platforms. Stoplight also makes it easy to keep your docs up to date, with built-in tools for versioning and editing.

Stoplight’s features include:

• Intelligent editor.
• Live preview.
• Customizable themes.
• Versioning and publishing.

Readme

Readme is a powerful tool for creating and maintaining beautiful, comprehensive docs. Developers can use Readme to design an API documentation site that is both user-friendly and informative.

• Readme is free to use.
• Offers a simple, clean interface for writing and organizing documentation.
• Integrates with many popular programming languages and frameworks.
• Variety of tools for collaboration and version control.

Dapperdox

Dapperdox is a powerful documentation tool that makes it easy to design and generate API documentation. Its many features make it an ideal choice for creating API documentation.

Some of the key features of Dapperdox include:

• A clean and user-friendly interface.
• Wide range of templates that can be used to design API documentation.
• Ability to generate API documentation in multiple formats, including PDF, HTML, and Markdown.
• Wide range of customization options.

Widdershins

Widdershins is a powerful documentation tool that allows you to design and generate API documentation using a simple, intuitive interface. With Widdershins, you can easily create beautiful, interactive API docs that are easy to navigate and use.

Some of the key features that make Widdershins so powerful include:

• Generate docs from OpenAPI (Swagger) specifications.
• Include code samples and examples in your docs.
• Customize the look and feel of your docs.
• Host your docs online for easy access.

RapiDoc

RapiDoc is a powerful and easy-to-use API documentation tool. It has a simple yet powerful user interface that allows you to quickly create and edit your documentation. Some of its features include:

• The ability to generate documentation from source code.
• A wide range of output formats.
• Support for multiple languages.
• A focus on usability.

AsyncAPI Playground

AsyncAPI Playground is a web-based tool that allows you to design and document your API using the AsyncAPI Specification. It is open source and free to use. The playground has a number of features that make it a valuable tool for API developers, including:

• The ability to design your API using the AsyncAPI specification.
• Web-based editor that makes it easy to develop and test your API.
• Library of sample AsyncAPI specifications.
• The ability to generate documentation for your API.
• A community of developers who can help you with your API development.

Apiary

Apiary is a powerful platform for designing and documenting APIs. It offers a variety of features that make it an ideal tool for API development and documentation.

Some of the key features of Apiary include:

• Powerful editor for designing and documenting APIs
• Wide range of output and API definition formats
• Platform for hosting and sharing API documentation
• Wide range of integrations with other tools and platforms

Apollo

Apollo is a powerful platform for creating API documentation. Its many features make it a solid choice, including the ability to generate documentation automatically from your code and easily publish your documentation online. Apollo also makes it easy to keep your documentation up to date, as it is automatically generated from your codebase.

Final Words

That’s a wrap for this blog post about tools for API documentation. Whether you are a newcomer to the world of API documentation or an experienced professional, we hope you found something new to try in your next API documentation project.