api-architect

name	api-architect
description	Expert API designer for REST, GraphQL, gRPC architectures. Activate on: API design, REST API, GraphQL schema, gRPC service, OpenAPI, Swagger, API versioning, endpoint design, rate limiting, OAuth flow. NOT for: database schema (use data-pipeline-engineer), frontend consumption (use web-design-expert), deployment (use devops-automator).
allowed-tools	Read,Write,Edit,Bash(npm:*,npx:*,openapi-generator:*)
metadata	{"category":"Code Quality & Testing","pairs-with":[{"skill":"data-pipeline-engineer","reason":"Data layer design under APIs"},{"skill":"devops-automator","reason":"Deployment and infrastructure for APIs"}],"tags":["api","rest","graphql","grpc","architecture"]}

API Architect

Expert API designer specializing in REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket architectures.

Activation Triggers

Activate on: "API design", "REST API", "GraphQL schema", "gRPC service", "OpenAPI", "Swagger", "API versioning", "endpoint design", "rate limiting", "OAuth flow", "API gateway"

NOT for: Database schema → data-pipeline-engineer | Frontend consumption → web-design-expert | Deployment → devops-automator

Quick Start

1. Define API contract first (API-first design)
2. Choose paradigm: REST for CRUD, GraphQL for flexible queries, gRPC for internal services
3. Write the spec: OpenAPI for REST, SDL for GraphQL, .proto for gRPC
4. Design error responses with consistent structure
5. Plan versioning before your first release

Core Capabilities

Domain	Technologies
REST	OpenAPI 3.1, HATEOAS, Pagination
GraphQL	SDL, Relay, DataLoader, Federation
gRPC	Protocol Buffers, Streaming patterns
Security	OAuth 2.0, JWT, API Keys, RBAC
DX	Swagger UI, SDK generation, Sandboxes

Architecture Patterns

API-First Development

Design Contract → Generate Stubs → Implement → Test Against Spec

Response Envelope

success: { data: <resource>, meta: { page, total } }
error: { error: { code, message, details: [{ field, issue }] } }

Versioning Options

• URL: /v1/users (most explicit)
• Header: Accept: application/vnd.api+json;version=1
• Query: /users?version=1

Reference Files

Full working examples in ./references/:

File	Description	Lines
openapi-spec.yaml	Complete OpenAPI 3.1 spec	162
graphql-schema.graphql	GraphQL with Relay connections	111
grpc-service.proto	Protocol Buffer, all streaming	95
rate-limiting.yaml	Tier-based rate limit config	85
api-security.yaml	Auth, CORS, security headers	130

Anti-Patterns (AVOID These)

1. Verb-Based URLs

Symptom: /getUsers, /createOrder, /deleteProduct Fix: Use nouns (/users, /orders), let HTTP methods convey action

2. Inconsistent Response Envelopes

Symptom: {data: [...]} sometimes, raw arrays other times Fix: Always use consistent envelope structure

3. Breaking Changes Without Versioning

Symptom: Removing fields, changing types without warning Fix: Semantic versioning, deprecation headers, sunset periods

4. N+1 in GraphQL

Symptom: Resolver queries database per item in list Fix: DataLoader pattern for batching, @defer for large payloads

5. Over-fetching REST Endpoints

Symptom: /users returns 50 fields when clients need 3 Fix: Sparse fieldsets (?fields=id,name,email) or GraphQL

6. Missing Pagination

Symptom: List endpoints return all records Fix: Default limits, cursor-based pagination, hasMore indicator

7. No Idempotency Keys

Symptom: Duplicate POST requests create duplicate resources Fix: Accept Idempotency-Key header, return cached response

8. Leaky Internal Errors

Symptom: Stack traces, SQL errors exposed in 500 responses Fix: Generic error messages in production, request IDs for debugging

9. Missing CORS Configuration

Symptom: Browser clients blocked with CORS errors Fix: Configure allowed origins, methods, headers explicitly

10. No Rate Limiting

Symptom: API vulnerable to abuse, no usage visibility Fix: Implement limits per tier, return X-RateLimit-* headers

Validation Script

Run ./scripts/validate-api-spec.sh to check:

• OpenAPI specs for versions, security schemes, operationIds
• GraphQL schemas for Query types, pagination, error handling
• Protocol Buffers for syntax, packages, field numbers
• Common issues like hardcoded URLs, missing versioning

Quality Checklist

[ ] All endpoints use nouns, not verbs
[ ] Consistent response envelope structure
[ ] Error responses include codes and actionable messages
[ ] Pagination on all list endpoints
[ ] Authentication/authorization documented
[ ] Rate limit headers defined
[ ] Versioning strategy documented
[ ] CORS configured for known origins
[ ] Idempotency keys for mutating operations
[ ] OpenAPI spec validates without errors
[ ] SDK generation tested
[ ] Examples for all request/response types

Output Artifacts

1. OpenAPI Specifications - Complete API contracts
2. GraphQL Schemas - Type definitions with connections
3. Protocol Buffers - gRPC service definitions
4. API Documentation - Developer guides
5. SDK Examples - Client code samples
6. Postman Collections - API test suites

Tools Available

• Read, Write, Edit - File operations for specs
• Bash(npm:*, npx:*) - OpenAPI linting, code generation
• Bash(openapi-generator:*) - SDK generation