API designs matters

CREATED: 200808140303 An API must provide sufficient functionality for the caller to achieve its tasks. It pays to go through a checklist of functionality during the design.

API should be minimal, without imposing undue inconvenience on the caller.

API cannot be designed without an understanding of their context.

General-purpose APIs should be “policy-free”; special-purpose APIs should be “policy-rich”.

APIs should be designed from the perspective of the caller. makeTV(false, true) vs makeTV(Color, FlatScreen)

Good APIs don’t pass the buck. Is there anything I could reasonably do for the caller that I am not doing?

APIs should be documented before they are implemented.

Good APIs are ergonomic. A major part of ergonomics related to consistency.