Api Patterns

This is a decision-making framework for API design, not a collection of boilerplate code. It covers REST versus GraphQL versus tRPC selection, response formats, versioning strategies, authentication patterns, and rate limiting approaches. The skill pushes you to choose based on context rather than defaulting to REST for everything. It includes a content map that tells Claude exactly which file to read for specific questions, from resource naming to OpenAPI documentation. The checklist format is practical: it makes you ask about API consumers and client requirements before jumping into implementation. If you're building APIs and want structured thinking about tradeoffs rather than copy-paste solutions, this handles the architectural decisions upfront.

skills.sh installs: 486
GitHub stars: 33.2K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill api-patterns --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

API Patterns

API design principles and decision-making for 2025. Learn to THINK, not copy fixed patterns.

🎯 Selective Reading Rule

Read ONLY files relevant to the request! Check the content map, find what you need.

📑 Content Map

File	Description	When to Read
`api-style.md`	REST vs GraphQL vs tRPC decision tree	Choosing API type
`rest.md`	Resource naming, HTTP methods, status codes	Designing REST API
`response.md`	Envelope pattern, error format, pagination	Response structure
`graphql.md`	Schema design, when to use, security	Considering GraphQL
`trpc.md`	TypeScript monorepo, type safety	TS fullstack projects
`versioning.md`	URI/Header/Query versioning	API evolution planning
`auth.md`	JWT, OAuth, Passkey, API Keys	Auth pattern selection
`rate-limiting.md`	Token bucket, sliding window	API protection
`documentation.md`	OpenAPI/Swagger best practices	Documentation
`security-testing.md`	OWASP API Top 10, auth/authz testing	Security audits