api-patterns

sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills · plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/api-patterns/SKILL.md

API design principles and decision-making. REST vs GraphQL vs tRPC selection, response formats, versioning, pagination.

Software EngineeringNo license★ 45496⑂ 6664commit 5cf4dfe

Install skillView source on GitHub

What this skill does

API Patterns

API design principles and decision-making for 2025. Learn to THINK, not copy fixed patterns.

🎯 Selective Reading Rule

Read ONLY files relevant to the request! Check the content map, find what you need.

📑 Content Map

| File | Description | When to Read | |------|-------------|--------------| | api-style.md | REST vs GraphQL vs tRPC decision tree | Choosing API type | | rest.md | Resource naming, HTTP methods, status codes | Designing REST API | | response.md | Envelope pattern, error format, pagination | Response structure | | graphql.md | Schema design, when to use, security | Considering GraphQL | | trpc.md | TypeScript monorepo, type safety | TS fullstack projects | | versioning.md | URI/Header/Query versioning | API evolution planning | | auth.md | JWT, OAuth, Passkey, API Keys | Auth pattern selection | | rate-limiting.md | Token bucket, sliding window | API protection | | documentation.md | OpenAPI/Swagger best practices | Documentation | | security-testing.md | OWASP API Top 10, auth/authz testing | Security audits |

🔗 Related Skills

| Need | Skill | |------|-------| | API implementation | @[skills/backend-development] | | Data structure | @[skills/database-design] | | Security details | @[skills/security-hardening] |

✅ Decision Checklist

Before designing an API:

[ ] Asked user about API consumers?
[ ] Chosen API style for THIS context? (REST/GraphQL/tRPC)
[ ] Defined consistent response format?
[ ] Planned versioning strategy?
[ ] Considered authentication needs?
[ ] Planned rate limiting?
[ ] Documentation approach defined?

❌ Anti-Patterns

DON'T:

Default to REST for everything
Use verbs in REST endpoints (/getUsers)
Return inconsistent response formats
Expose internal errors to clients
Skip rate limiting

DO:

Choose API style based on context
Ask about client requirements
Document thoroughly
Use appropriate status codes

Script

| Script | Purpose | Command | |--------|---------|---------| | scripts/api_validator.py | API endpoint validation | python scripts/api_validator.py <project_path> |

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Limitations

Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

Installation

Copy a source-pinned command for your client. You run it yourself.

Destination: .claude/skills/api-patterns · pinned to the source commit

# Run from your project root
git clone https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.git .skillboard-tmp
git -C .skillboard-tmp checkout 5cf4dfeb13ea966daa1e117897689cd7991e3f44
mkdir -p ".claude/skills"
cp -r ".skillboard-tmp/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/api-patterns" ".claude/skills/"
rm -rf .skillboard-tmp

Review the source before running. This copies files into your project; it is not a one-click install and does not verify runtime safety.

New here? Step-by-step setup – from installing the agent to using the skill

Operating systemAgentI already use Claude Code

1
Install Git
Install Git with your package manager (Debian/Ubuntu shown; use dnf/pacman on others). Official download.
```
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git
```
2
Install Claude Code
Requires Node.js 18+. Install the CLI globally: Official docs. (command-line tool)
```
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
```

Get the skill, pinned to its exact version

Open a terminal and run these steps (they clone the source, check out the exact commit, and copy the skill into place):

# Run from your project root
git clone https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.git .skillboard-tmp
git -C .skillboard-tmp checkout 5cf4dfeb13ea966daa1e117897689cd7991e3f44
mkdir -p ".claude/skills"
cp -r ".skillboard-tmp/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/api-patterns" ".claude/skills/"
rm -rf .skillboard-tmp

Destination: .claude/skills/api-patterns

4
Use it in Claude Code
Open Claude Code in your project. It reads skills from the folder above, so api-patterns is now available. Always review the source before using it – static checks cannot prove runtime safety.

Security & Audits

Scanner static-checks@0.1.0 · commit 5cf4dfeb13ea. Static checks cannot prove runtime safety – review the source and the exact diff before installing. How checks work.

No static rules matched. This is not a safety guarantee.

api-patterns

sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills · plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/api-patterns/SKILL.md

API design principles and decision-making. REST vs GraphQL vs tRPC selection, response formats, versioning, pagination.

Software EngineeringNo license★ 45496⑂ 6664commit 5cf4dfe

What this skill does

API Patterns

API design principles and decision-making for 2025. Learn to THINK, not copy fixed patterns.

🎯 Selective Reading Rule

Read ONLY files relevant to the request! Check the content map, find what you need.

📑 Content Map

🔗 Related Skills

| Need | Skill | |------|-------| | API implementation | @[skills/backend-development] | | Data structure | @[skills/database-design] | | Security details | @[skills/security-hardening] |

✅ Decision Checklist

Before designing an API:

[ ] Asked user about API consumers?
[ ] Chosen API style for THIS context? (REST/GraphQL/tRPC)
[ ] Defined consistent response format?
[ ] Planned versioning strategy?
[ ] Considered authentication needs?
[ ] Planned rate limiting?
[ ] Documentation approach defined?

❌ Anti-Patterns

DON'T:

Default to REST for everything
Use verbs in REST endpoints (/getUsers)
Return inconsistent response formats
Expose internal errors to clients
Skip rate limiting

DO:

Choose API style based on context
Ask about client requirements
Document thoroughly
Use appropriate status codes

Script

| Script | Purpose | Command | |--------|---------|---------| | scripts/api_validator.py | API endpoint validation | python scripts/api_validator.py <project_path> |

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Limitations

Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

Installation

Copy a source-pinned command for your client. You run it yourself.

Destination: .claude/skills/api-patterns · pinned to the source commit

# Run from your project root
git clone https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.git .skillboard-tmp
git -C .skillboard-tmp checkout 5cf4dfeb13ea966daa1e117897689cd7991e3f44
mkdir -p ".claude/skills"
cp -r ".skillboard-tmp/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/api-patterns" ".claude/skills/"
rm -rf .skillboard-tmp

Review the source before running. This copies files into your project; it is not a one-click install and does not verify runtime safety.

New here? Step-by-step setup – from installing the agent to using the skill

Operating systemAgentI already use Claude Code

1
Install Git
Install Git with your package manager (Debian/Ubuntu shown; use dnf/pacman on others). Official download.
```
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git
```
2
Install Claude Code
Requires Node.js 18+. Install the CLI globally: Official docs. (command-line tool)
```
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
```

Get the skill, pinned to its exact version

Open a terminal and run these steps (they clone the source, check out the exact commit, and copy the skill into place):

# Run from your project root
git clone https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.git .skillboard-tmp
git -C .skillboard-tmp checkout 5cf4dfeb13ea966daa1e117897689cd7991e3f44
mkdir -p ".claude/skills"
cp -r ".skillboard-tmp/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/api-patterns" ".claude/skills/"
rm -rf .skillboard-tmp

Destination: .claude/skills/api-patterns

4
Use it in Claude Code
Open Claude Code in your project. It reads skills from the folder above, so api-patterns is now available. Always review the source before using it – static checks cannot prove runtime safety.

Security & Audits

Scanner static-checks@0.1.0 · commit 5cf4dfeb13ea. Static checks cannot prove runtime safety – review the source and the exact diff before installing. How checks work.

No static rules matched. This is not a safety guarantee.

api-patterns

What this skill does

API Patterns

🎯 Selective Reading Rule

📑 Content Map

🔗 Related Skills

✅ Decision Checklist

❌ Anti-Patterns

Script

When to Use

Limitations

Installation

Install Git

Install Claude Code

Get the skill, pinned to its exact version

Use it in Claude Code

Security & Audits

api-patterns

What this skill does

API Patterns

🎯 Selective Reading Rule

📑 Content Map

🔗 Related Skills

✅ Decision Checklist

❌ Anti-Patterns

Script

When to Use

Limitations

Installation

Install Git

Install Claude Code

Get the skill, pinned to its exact version

Use it in Claude Code

Security & Audits