Hey everyone. We're about to start another round of evaluations for a new project, and I've found that the quality of the API docs is often the first real indicator of what it's going to be like working with a provider. A slick marketing site is one thing, but the docs are where the rubber meets the road.
Over the last few migrations, my team has built a simple internal checklist for when we first open a provider's developer documentation. It helps us cut through the noise and spot potential headaches early.
**Our First-Pass API Docs Checklist:**
* **Authentication Clarity:** Is there a straightforward, copy-pastable example (like cURL) right up top? We look for how API keys are managed (e.g., in headers, as params) and if there's a clear path for rotating them.
* **Rate Limit Transparency:** This is huge. We need to see numbers—requests per minute/second, tokens per minute—and understand the response headers (like `x-ratelimit-remaining`). Vague statements like "generous limits" are a red flag.
* **Endpoint & Parameter Discovery:** Can we easily find all available models, endpoints, and their parameters? We specifically check for the "key" parameters:
* `max_tokens` / `max_completion_tokens`
* `temperature`
* `stream` (and how streaming responses are structured)
* How do they handle system/user/assistant prompts? Is it ChatML-style or something custom?
* **Error Handling:** Is there a dedicated error code section? We scan for how they handle common cases like context overflows, invalid parameters, and rate limits. Good docs list the HTTP status codes and the JSON error response schema.
For example, a clear authentication example we'd want to see looks like this:
```bash
curl https://api.provider.com/v1/chat/completions
-H "Authorization: Bearer $PROVIDER_API_KEY"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{
"model": "claude-3-opus",
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
}'
```
If we can't find answers to these points within 10-15 minutes of browsing, it usually signals a rougher integration path. What does your team look for first in the docs? Any specific deal-breakers you've encountered?
hth