API Guidelines in the Wild

API Guidelines are one of the important ingredients of an API program. They are the representation of the API culture of an organization. Here are some examples of API guidelines in the wild:

Compilations

• API Stylebook
• Stoplight’s collection of API guidelines supported by Spectral rulesets

Individual Guidelines

• Adello API Styleguide
• Adidas API Guidelines
• APIOps Cycles REST API Design Guide
• Atlassian REST API design guidelines
• Australian Digital Transformation Office
• Australian National API Design Standards (NAPIDS)
• Belgian Interoperability Framework (BELGIF) REST Guidelines
• Box OpenAPI 3.0 Specification with Contribution Guidelines
• Canada Directive on Management of Information Technology: Mandatory Procedures for Application Programming Interfaces
• Cisco Guidelines for designing REST APIs
• Cloud Foundry Style Guide for Cloud Controller v3 API
• Dutch API Design Rules: API Design Rules and API Design Rules Extensions
• Google API Design Guide
• Google API Improvement Proposals
• Haufe API Style Guide
• Heroku HTTP API Design Guide
• Italian Interoperability Guidelines for the Public Administration (Online Validator)
• Microsoft REST API Guidelines
• Netapp RESTful API Developer Guidelines
• OTTO API Guidelines
• PayPal API Design Guidelines
• SPS Commerce REST API Standards
• UC Berkeley API Best Practices
• White House Web API Standards
• Zalando RESTful API and Event Scheme Guidelines