[The Best API Documentation Examples: 11 Companies that Nailed It | Archbee Blog](https://www.archbee.com/blog/api-documentation-examples)

https //www archbee com/blog https //www archbee com/blog documentationupdated november 4, 2025 dragos dragos founder, robot with feelings from planet aiur http //twitter com/happydragos https //www linkedin com/in/dragos bulugean/ explore 10 real life examples of effective api documentation that can inspire your own documentation efforts from stripe to twilio, see how leading companies do it right the best api documentation examples 11 companies that nailed it working with apis is an integral part of the developer’s workday the developers need to access https //www archbee com/blog/api documentation frequently, and it’s up to you to provide an optimal experience for them as they browse the documents you’ve worked so hard on for this reason, many documentation features were developed to help users find what they need quickly and actually enjoy the time they spend reading about the api this article will show you some excellent examples of api documentation from companies that have done their best to accommodate busy developers there are some great practices to pick up here so, without further ado, let’s jump right into our first example \#google maps the three column approach the google maps api holds an entire world of possibilities for developers to try out and implement into their projects as such, providing extremely efficient navigation through the app itself is a must otherwise, developers might get lost in all the features the api offers and waste time looking for the correct document or guide therefore, google implemented a classical solution three column navigation google implemented three column navigation source https //developers google com/maps/documentation/javascript/firebase the code takes front and center stage, of course, and users can navigate the document using a handy contents feature on the right the left hand side column allows users to browse the topics in this space so that they can quickly jump between different sections of the api last but not least, a search bar is placed in the upper right corner for the users who know exactly what they are looking for and need to find it quickly we’ll be mentioning navigation capabilities a few times in this article, but google’s three column approach is probably your best bet if you want your users to easily find their way around a large documentation base \#stripe clean design for easy use stripe’s api reference is often mentioned as a prime example of api documentation designed with user experience in mind developers using the reference are met with a cool and sleek interface where explanations are given on the left and code snippets can be found on the right hand side stripe api reference stripe api reference there’s nothing to distract you from your goals here, and the explanations are given in plain english, allowing developers to get what they need fast and continue their work if there’s one lesson to be learned from stripe, it’s that excellent api documentation doesn't need any bells and whistles to provide an optimal https //www archbee com/blog/api documentation developer experience sleek design and simplicity are definitely the way to go \#twilio providing api documentation accessible to everyone this is a great example of an incredibly rich api reference that provides developers with everything they need to do their best work along with an authentication guide and a quickstart guide, developers have access to endpoint definitions and examples of code, as well as the code snippets themselves, of course what is rest api, anyway? source twilio what really sets twilio’s api documentation apart is the wealth of amazing copy that actually takes the time to explain the api, from the basic concepts to the advanced features technical writers writing for developers sometimes think they don’t need to wow their audience with great copy, but rather focus on delivering simple, short explanations of the product twilio’s api documentation is an excellent example of a documentation resource that doesn’t shy away from longer articles, taking the time to explain everything in their space that way, api documentation becomes more accessible to everyone, including beginners \#github who says api documentation needs to be boring? api references are often accompanied by explanations and copy that can be quite dry not github’s rest api, though their documentation features some of the most engaging, at times even hilarious, copy we’ve ever seen much like twilio, github understands that api documentation is consumed by humans and presents their documentation in a conversational style, making it that much easier to follow github api documentation source github there’s absolutely nothing wrong with breathing some fresh air into developer lingo, and github does this very well but it’s not just about coaxing a smile from users github’s rest api comes with every resource users need, including guides, references, and code samples, all of which is adequately explained for developers’ quick and easy use just find what you need in the exhaustive left hand menu and dive right into the code \#twitter documentation built for exploration twitter’s api documentation has a neat feature for developers coming to the api without a clear idea of what they want to do with it their documentation has an entire section dedicated to ideas and innovation that can improve twitter and provide its users with more useful features twitter api what to build source twitter this gives this api a collaborative, community building character that isn’t very common the documentation offers plenty of resources for users who want to use the api to build new tools and products these include commonly used endpoints and even examples of successful projects built using the api if you’re building your own api reference, see what you can do to inspire users and get their creative juices flowing after all, the purpose of apis is to unlock new possibilities and help developers achieve their goals, however large or small they may be \#ifttt resolving issues quickly with a faq section another amazing example of an api reference that entices developers to flex their imagination and build new stuff across a variety of industries iftt’s documentation is a complete resource that features a quickstart guide, endless how to guides and sample code collections, and easy examples iftt’s api documentation source ifttt all of this is packed in a simple, clean documentation base that’s easy to browse and simple to use a special mention needs to be made for the handy glossary and faq sections that will prevent even the most inexperienced users from getting lost and confused if anything is unclear, developers don’t need to keep rereading the documentation looking for clarity, they can simply look up their questions in the faq section and get easy answers a little read recommendation just because we talked about frequently asked questions https //www archbee com/blog/api documentation writers questions \#shopify navigating users to success shopify is probably the most famous platform in the ecommerce space their api documentation page is an exhaustive resource for developers who want to provide the shopify experience to desktop, app, and even video game users the great thing about their api reference is that it’s divided into sections according to the user’s needs shopify apis source shopify there are a lot of resources available, so having a roadmap like this one is definitely appreciated users coming to the api documentation homepage can simply choose an option that suits their goals best and start exploring the api efficient navigation is a hallmark of good documentation, so take a page from shopify’s book and provide an easy way to get around for your users \#mailchimp mentioning the tools needed for the job working with apis often requires extensive knowledge and developer tools however, not all apis are equally difficult to work with that’s why it’s an excellent idea to preface api documentation with a short section on what level of skill is required from the developers and what tools they’ll need to implement a certain feature mailchimp does this really well their api articles start with a “what you’ll need” section explaining the tools for the job mailchimp apis source mailchimp it’s no secret that developers are busy people enabling them to save time in their work will definitely earn you some appreciation, and listing the proper tools for the job is a great way to do precisely that that way, users know exactly what they’re getting into when preparing to use the api if there’s a component missing, they know to first resolve that issue before continuing with the action, saving them time and making it more likely they’ll be successful while using the reference \#parse taking things slow parse does an excellent job of guiding users through every action that can be taken with the api it provides a seamless experience for users who never feel lost while using the documentation parse apis source parse providing easy to follow walkthroughs is essential if you really want your users to enjoy using your documentation, and parse goes a step further by providing editing capabilities for users of the library that way, users can continually improve the documentation and make it better for every subsequent visitor consider doing something similar with your api documentation, or at least allow users to https //www archbee com/blog/documentation metrics to alert you to the things that need improvement after all, documentation should be user centric and your users deserve to have their voices heard \#slack providing documentation for all skill levels api documentation should motivate users to develop new tools and products, not put them off because it's too complex to understand therefore, providing resources for beginners as well as veterans is a https //www archbee com/blog/api documentation best practices#toc 1 to follow to go a step further, you can also provide information about how advanced each document is to allow users to find documentation according to their skill level some api references, such as slack’s, have an amazing feature that lets users know how advanced their skills need to be in order to use a particular feature slack api references source slack in the case of slack, users can find a skill level indication at the very top of the article that way, absolute beginners can start working with the actions that are appropriate for them and not feel discouraged when encountering documentation meant for more seasoned pros of course, experienced developers can jump straight to using https //www archbee com/blog/technical documentation best practices#toc 3 that skip the basic theory and dive straight into the work the trick here is to offer resources to every level of skill so that the entire team can use the api and achieve success this is also great for distributing work because project managers will instantly know which tasks can be completed by novices and which need more seasoned developers \#plaid code that stays with the user different api documentation presents the code in different ways some libraries have code snippets and examples directly below the explanation, providing a sequential order to the information others present code side by side with the text, allowing users to view the code and documentation in parallel plaid’s api documentation falls under the latter category, but what’s really interesting is that the code doesn’t scroll with the text in cases where more space is needed to explain the code plain link web sdk source plaid instead, the right hand window stays fixed until the end of the section so that the user can conveniently keep looking at it without having to scroll back this is a great ux feature and provides a smooth reading experience for the developer, who is much more likely to understand each line of the code individually \#key takeaways \#how do i write an api document? to https //www archbee com/blog/how to write api documentation , start by understanding your audience and their needs consider who will be using the api and what they need to accomplish once you have a clear understanding of your audience, organize your documentation in a way that is easy to navigate and understand use clear and concise language, and https //www archbee com/blog/api documentation examples to help users understand how to use the api be sure to provide information on authentication and authorization, error messages, and any limitations or restrictions that users need to be aware of another https //www archbee com/blog/importance of api documentation is to keep it up to date as the api evolves, make sure that the documentation stays current and accurate consider using tools that can automatically generate documentation from code, which can help ensure that the documentation is always up to date \#what does api documentation include? api documentation typically includes information on the api's endpoints, parameters, and responses it should provide clear explanations of how to use the api and what the expected results are documentation should also include information on authentication and authorization, as well as error messages and how to handle them some api documentation may also include code examples, tutorials, or other resources to help developers get up and running with the api good api documentation should be well organized and easy to navigate it should provide a clear overview of the api, and help users quickly find the information they need it should also be up to date and accurate, reflecting any changes to the api \#what is an example of a great api documentation? stripe, a popular payment processing company, is often cited as an example of a company with a great api stripe's api documentation is well organized and easy to navigate, and provides clear explanations of how to use the api the documentation includes code examples, tutorials, and other resources to help developers get up and running quickly stripe's api also includes a robust set of tools for handling payments, subscriptions, and other features, making it a popular choice for developers looking to integrate payments into their own applications another example of a great api is the twilio api, which provides tools for building voice and messaging applications twilio's api documentation is also well organized and easy to navigate, and includes code examples and other resources to help developers get started twilio's api provides a range of features for building voice and messaging applications, including the ability to send and receive sms messages, make and receive phone calls, and more \#conclusion in this article, we showed you some fantastic ways to https //www archbee com/blog/characteristics of technical writing#toc 5 and present your api documentation using examples from companies who have perfected their documentation for the convenience of developers the various structuring, ux, and technical writing features we showed you are all possible to achieve if you’re using https //www archbee com/blog/technical writing metrics software to explain and present your apis our own documentation software product, https //www archbee com/ , was uniquely designed to support writers and companies who want to offer pristine api documentation to developers archbee offers complete api integration and a code editor block with multiple programming language input capabilities, making it the perfect tool for creating api documentation if you need to start documenting your apis, give our https //app archbee com/signup a go and start https //www archbee com/blog/developer friendly api to come back to every day hope our article about https //www archbee com/blog/api documentation examples helped you on your way to a better api documentation \#faq frequently asked questions what does a three‑column layout in api docs look like, and why use it? a three column layout places core content in the center, a global navigation menu on the left, and a page level table of contents on the right—often with a search bar at the top google maps uses this pattern so developers can browse topics on the left, read explanations and code in the middle, and jump to specific sections via the right side contents the result is faster navigation, less scrolling, and a clearer sense of where you are—especially helpful for large, complex docs how does stripe’s api documentation make developers’ lives easier? why is twilio’s api documentation considered so accessible to all skill levels? what helpful skill level guidance does slack’s api documentation provide? how does plaid’s api documentation improve readability while you learn from code examples? documentation, technical writing tips and trends blog join 5000+ people from around the world that receive a monthly edition of the archbee blog newsletter mailto\ 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