6 Best OpenAPI Documentation Tools that You must Know

6 Best OpenAPI
Documentation Tools
Published on: December 11, 2023
Consider you have just purchased a new home entertainment system &
are about to set it up. What is the first thing you do? Luckily, you have a
gadget handbook to guide you. Follow the instructions in the booklet &
you're done! Your home theatre system is set to play your favorite music.
As a device manual explains the support & installation, API documentation
can assist you in placing an API. Software development teams often
neglect documentation as tangential—secondary to product
development & feature work. While many software engineers focus on
code design & implementation, creating effective documentation is as
crucial as product development.
As the creator quips, “The initial purpose of API documentation is to reduce
that curve by detailing everything in layman's terms.” In simple terms,
Convert web pages and HTML files to PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API Printed with Pdfcrowd.com

documentation is similar to a software handbook instructing users on how
to use your API.
In addition to the "how to," quality API documentation helps users get the
most out of the software by ensuring they don't overlook crucial features
or spend time misusing your API. Ultimately, testing API documentation is
vital in assisting your product to build a robust user base & keep users
ahead.
On the other hand, keeping your API documentation can prove
challenging & time-consuming, especially if you have to modify the fit
every time your API changes. Fortunately, several API documentation tools
are available to help simplify and automate doc production.
But which is the best? To solve your dilemma, MarsDevs will highlight some
of the best API documentation tools available to make documentation
simpler! Let’s start with the basics.
MarsDevs · OpenAPI Documentation Tools Overview
API Documentation - The Basics

Before delving into API documentation, let us define an API and its
essential features. API stands for Application Programming Interface.
Whether you are a novice coder or an accomplished developer, API will
often appear in your software development road. It acts as a link between
your computer, mobile phone, or application and external resources.
APIs, in other words, allow your software to interface with other software
programs, databases, or resources. Instead of building the program for a
specific feature of your application, you can leverage a widely accessible
API for functionality.
However, as James Gosling puts it, “An API that isn’t flexible isn’t fit to be
used.”
So, what is API documentation? API documentation is technical content
that provides detailed instructions on how an API works, its features, and
how to utilize it. It is legible by humans and machines and may be
authored by a technical writer.
API documentation must be simple for users or developers who wish to
address a specific problem. Good API documentation includes the
following components:
A fast start guide.
API Authentication data and call explanations.
Request examples, error messages, answer descriptions, and so forth.
JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, and more programming language
examples.
SDK examples to demonstrate how users can access all resources, if
accessible.

API documentation can be in various formats, from classic text-based
documentation to interactive platforms and developer portals, based on
the target audience and API complexity.
How does API documentation help?
Documentation is the foundation of a positive user experience. Well-
written API documentation is required to eliminate user issues and make
integration easier so that they may proceed swiftly into their development
phase.
There are several benefits to investing your efforts in creating high-quality
and comprehensible API documentation, such as:
Better awareness - The more individuals utilize a product or service,
the more well-known the networking effect grows. People who are
pleased with your services become the most vocal supporters of your
API.
More adoption - Good documentation drives the API's widespread
adoption. Users are more inclined to embrace items or services they
like using, and the same is true for your API.
Cut time and support costs - If you give excellent documentation
that properly defines everything, users can get started with the API
fast and without issue, saving you time and support costs.
In a nutshell, API documentation operates as a technical reference and a
user guide, offering thorough descriptions of how an API works and what it
can do.
How do API documentation tools
ease the load?

You may have compelling reasons to update documentation manually
right now. You may desire total control over the content and layout of the
documentation. Handmade references, undoubtedly, allow you the most
control over your documentation. Yet, manual documentation is not only
time-consuming but also error-prone.
How to simplify it? Using API documentation generators. You don't need a
full CI/CD pipeline to use API reference generators. All needed is an API
definition document, such as one that adheres to the OpenAPI
Specification.
API providers can create documentation, libraries, sandbox environments
for testing & other useful resources more readily with OpenAPI as a
foundation. An increasing number of industry tools are available to help
you create your OpenAPI definition & convert it into a human-readable API
reference.
How do you choose the right API
documentation tool?

As developer Maybell Obadoni says, “Writing API documentation can be
time-consuming and difficult to keep up with. Yet, an effective
documentation tool can solve most, if not all, of these problems.”
But how do you choose one? A documentation tool should contain the
following features at a minimum:
Contributes to the creation of articles
Offers user metrics and feedback mechanisms
Has effective search and filtering
Individualization of design
Have a great user experience
Integrate easily with other tools
Provide powerful authoring tools
Includes options for integration
Offer resources on troubleshooting

When selecting an API documentation tool, one overriding goal should be
to unify various types of documentation into a single portal to facilitate the
developer experience. So, you must choose one that does the same for
you.
6 Best API Documentation Tools
There are several tools available to help you with your API documentation
journey. The advantage of adopting tools is that they give collaboration
capabilities and common templates rather than beginning from scratch.
As a result, we have compiled a list of some of the best OpenAPI
documentation tools. All the tools mentioned here are open-source, and
all support OpenAPI v3.
1. Redoc
Redoc is an open-source API document generator that implements the
OpenAPI v3 requirements. It is a strong and extremely configurable tool.
Redoc began as an API documentation engine for the Rebilly documents
and eventually grew into its own company.
Redoc is available in free and premium editions, depending on your needs.
Redoc is built on React JS and has a three-column page with your explorer
in the first column, the description of the selected index in the second
column, and a console where you can perform API requests in the final
column.

2. SwaggerUI
Smartbear's SwaggerUI is another excellent tool for creating API
documentation. SwaggerUI makes it simple for API customers to grasp the
API by rapidly determining which endpoints do which activities. SwaggerUI
allows you to interact with the API without developing the logic.
It allows you to build API documentation in various forms, including JSON,
YAML, and markdown, making it easy for anybody to modify. SwaggerUI
offers a single-column view where everything is precisely described in a
collapsible bar mode.
Swagger supports versioning, which is a great way to manage and update
your documentation. Plus, it makes it simple to run tests and provide
documentation.

3. Lucybot
Lucybot is another API tool that can be used alongside current API
documentation to assist developers in getting started with their API.
LucyBot's DocGen is an API documentation static website generator.

Lucybot simplifies API exploration by building a cross-language cookbook
for all your API's primary use cases. The code examples also extend into a
visually rich functioning demo, ensuring that developers have everything
they need to get started with your API as soon as feasible.
It creates fully configurable documentation, an API console, and
interactive lessons using OpenAPI, markdown, and other open standards.
4. RapidDoc
RapidDoc provides the finest user experience for API documentation out of
all the API documentation on our list. Using OpenAPI requirements,
RapidDoc allows you to generate attractive and interactive API
documentation. This extremely customizable tool allows you to change
the theme, font, and colors.
You may also include external HTML code in the documentation or embed
the documentation within another piece of HTML code. RapidDoc includes
a console out of the box, which you can use to create API requests and test
your API simply. JavaScript, like HTML, can be used to update its
characteristics. It features a single-column display with collapsible bars,
similar to SwaggerUI & these bars include the console with the JSON
payloads.

5. OpenAPI Viewer
OpenAPI Viewer is a console-based OpenAPI 3.0 and 2.0 Spec viewer. The
OpenAPI Viewer works with and without any framework. The branding and
customizing options make adhering to any style guide simple. It allows for
several adjustments, such as inserting external information at the top and
bottom of the text, including photos, links, forms, and much more.
It also allows you to search for endpoints and includes an integrated
interface for testing APIs. It separates Request and Response information,
set out side by side in a two-column arrangement.

6. OpenAPI Generator
The OpenAPI Generator is intended to generate documentation for OAS 2.0
and OAS 3.0 documents. Options, custom templates, and custom
generators on your classpath can be used to alter these documents.
This online API documentation tool is unique because it supports many
documentation forms, including HTML and Cwiki. You can offer static
documentation to your customers by converting OAS documents to HTML
or Cwiki formats.
Wrapping up
The purpose of API documentation is to improve the user experience. So,
establishing a fantastic API is crucial, as is generating understandable and
high-quality documentation to describe how to use it.
Hence, save resources and time by automating the process of producing
API documentation with the help of the tools listed above. These tools are
for creating and beautifying documentation from your APIs. With that, API

owners no longer have to bother about documentation and can focus fully
on the creation and enhancement of the API.
Need help with your API documentation journey? MarsDevs can help. We
can help you create professional, fully-featured APIs in no time!
Book a slot with us today!
FAQs
1. What’s the most used template for API documentation?
OpenAPI, formerly Swagger, is the most widely used open-source
documentation template on the market. It seeks to meet the issues of both
teaching and documenting APIs.
2. Who can write API documentation?
A technical writer combines content writing expertise with technical
understanding to create documentation that is not only technical but also
educational and intelligible.
3. What is API?
APIs offer creators the ability to sync data across various platforms & ease
of communication over web app components. API integration is
performed when you type the latest address in Salesforce & it auto-
populates in Marketo.
4. Why is API used?
APIs are vital to merge apps to operate a pre-defined mode via data
sharing & pre-defined processes.

5. What is OpenAPI vs REST API?
RESTful API is a web service that interacts with resources using HTTP
methods and URIs, whereas Open API is a specification for creating and
documenting RESTful APIs
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