API-First
[/eɪ piː aɪ fɜːrst/]
Definitions
A design philosophy where the API contract is defined and agreed upon before any implementation begins. API-first teams treat the API as the product — writing the specification first (e.g., in OpenAPI), getting feedback from consumers, then building both client and server simultaneously against the agreed contract.
“Their API-first approach meant the mobile app team could start building against the spec before the backend was done.”
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