Introduction to API documentation: Interview with Scot Marvin
Length: 30 min.
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In this podcast, I talk with Scot Marvin, an API technical writer based in Oregon, about some introductory topics with API documentation. Topics covered in the podcast include the following:
- The prevalence of APIs 15 years ago compared to today
- The definition of an API
- What technical writers are responsible to document with APIs
- Where technical writers get information about the requests, parameters, and other technical details with APIs
- Whether technical writers get info from the API code or from other sources, such as specs
- The difference between reading versus writing code
- Documentation beyond the reference API that tech writers create
- The difference between an SDK and API
- Some paths people take that lead them to doing API documentation
- Whether tech writers are at a disadvantage without a dev background when creating API doc
- What format the response of an API usually delivered in (JSON, XML)
- How a REST API differs from a Java API
- How does SOAP differ from REST
- Examples of some good sample API doc sites, and why
- The amount of continual study and learning needed to thrive in API doc space
For more information about Scott, see his Twitter handle scotmarvin or his website scotmarvin.com.
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