Podcast: Automating REST API documentation, with Peter Gruenbaum

by Tom Johnson on Jan 5, 2015
categories: api-doc • podcasts

In this podcast, Peter Gruenbaum talks about automating REST API documentation. Here are a few questions I asked Peter during the podcast:

• What do people mean when they use the term "automated documentation"?
• Is automated documentation preferable to manual documentation?
• Why is it more difficult to automate REST API documentation than it is with platform API documentation?
• What are some tools used to automate REST API documentation?
• How can Swagger, Enunciate, I/O docs, and some other tools be used to automate REST API documentation?
• What's your default go-to method for documenting a REST API?
• Are dynamic endpoint generators like Swagger helpful for developers in learning an API?
• Do automated documentation tools for REST reduce documentation drift?
• How do you integrate notes, code samples, and other information into an automated doc format like Swagger?
• Can you build a mock sample with Swagger without having a real API?
• Are videos popular with API documentation?
• Is API documentation only a good option if you love code?
• What API documentation course are you preparing for Udemy?

About Peter Gruenbaum

Peter Gruenbaum is a seasoned API writer with many years of experience providing technology learning solutions. He runs a company called SDK Bridge in Seattle that specializes in API and SDK documentation, video tutorials, sample code, and more.

Here's more detail about Peter from SDK Bridge:

Peter founded SDK Bridge, LLC to bring together his love of technology and writing. He has worked as an API writer to describe APIs for eCommerce, automobile traffic prediction, electric utilities, mobile phones, and tractors, just to name a few. At Red Llama, he created a program to teach creative technology classes to low-income youth to inspire them to consider technology careers, obtaining grant money from the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, and others. This program has now become the Software Development for Kids project at SDK Bridge. Peter received his BA in Physics from the University of Chicago and his PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford University.