swift-networking-patterns

name	swift-networking-patterns
description	HTTP client architecture and API patterns using native Swift networking.
activation	Load when building network layers or API clients in Swift

Skill: swift-networking-patterns

Overview

HTTP client architecture and API patterns using native Swift networking.

URLSession + async/await

• Use URLSession.shared.data(from:) or custom URLSession instances.
• Decode JSON with Codable. Never use JSONSerialization for model mapping.

Error Handling

• Define custom Error types conforming to LocalizedError for user-facing messages.
• Map HTTP status codes and decoding failures to domain errors.

Architecture

• Separate network layer from ViewModels.
• ViewModel depends on an abstract protocol (e.g. UserServiceProtocol).
• Concrete implementation uses URLSession.
• HTTP client code should be a "dumb pipe" — no business logic in request building.

Cancellation

• Pass Task cancellation to URLSession via cancellation tokens.
• Use withTaskCancellationHandler for custom cancellation cleanup.

Retry and Backoff

• Describe exponential backoff pattern for transient failures.
• Do not mandate a specific retry library.