I've spent time on both sides of the API divide – consuming as a mobile dev and producing as a backend dev. This experience crystallized a key principle: share specifications, not execution details. I've written about how this plays out in the real world, especially when juggling tools like Swagger and Postman.
The post covers
- The inherent tension between Swagger's spec-focused approach and Postman's execution flexibility
- Real-world consequences of over-sharing execution details in API documentation
- How our team adapted our API development process to better adhere to this principle
- Thoughts on what an ideal API documentation tool might look like, combining the strengths of both approaches
I'm curious to hear from the HN community: How do you balance sharing API specs without getting bogged down in execution details? Have you found effective ways to use Swagger and Postman (or other tools) together?
