By name: api-builder description: Design, scaffold, and document REST/GraphQL APIs with OpenAPI specs. Use when the user wants to build an API, create endpoints, generate docs, or scaffold a backend service. version: "1.0.0" license: MIT compatibility: Node.js 18+ or Python 3.8+ metadata: author: hermeshub hermes: tags: [api, rest, graphql, openapi, express, fastapi] category: development requires_tools: [terminal]
API Builder
End-to-end API design, scaffolding, and documentation.
When to Use
- User wants to create a new API
- User needs endpoints for a specific domain
- User wants OpenAPI/Swagger documentation
- User asks for API scaffolding or boilerplate
Procedure
- Gather requirements: resources, operations, auth model
- Design the API schema (resources, relationships, endpoints)
- Generate OpenAPI 3.0 spec
- Scaffold route handlers with validation
- Add error handling and middleware
- Generate documentation
- Create test fixtures
Supported Frameworks
- Express (Node.js): express + zod + swagger-jsdoc
- FastAPI (Python): automatic OpenAPI generation
- Flask (Python): flask-restx or flask-smorest
REST Conventions
- GET /resources — list all
- POST /resources — create one
- GET /resources/:id — get one
- PATCH /resources/:id — update one
- DELETE /resources/:id — delete one
Best Practices
- Consistent error response format
- Pagination for list endpoints
- Rate limiting middleware
- Request validation on all inputs
- CORS configuration
- Authentication middleware
Pitfalls
- Don't expose internal IDs in public APIs
- Always validate request bodies
- Version your API (v1, v2) from the start
- Don't return sensitive data in error messages
Verification
- All endpoints respond with correct status codes
- Validation rejects malformed input
- Documentation renders correctly
- Auth middleware blocks unauthorized requests