# API Designer

Canonical page: https://apiopscycles.com/roles/api-designer

Language: en

Entity ID: api-designer

Shapes the interface contract, interaction model, consistency, and usability of the exposed capabilities.

## Decisions

- Start from the selected architecture decision and use the Interaction Canvas or style-specific design guide as the primary design path.
- Confirm domain concepts, ownership, data rules, and mappings before contract design.
- Choose only the relevant style-specific design artifacts for REST, GraphQL, event, messaging, file, stream, data product, direct integration, connector, or hybrid implementation.
- Apply contract-first integration design using OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, event schemas, message schemas, file schemas, data contracts, or interface specifications where useful.
- Define examples, lifecycle rules, compatibility expectations, consumer obligations, and validation evidence.
- Keep REST, Event, and GraphQL canvases conditional when those styles are selected.

## Outputs

- A validated interface contract for the selected implementation style
- Consistent interaction, data, event, file, workflow, or API contract decisions
- Design traceability back to capability and consumer requirements
- Designs aligned with domain models and interaction patterns
- spec
- contract
- design-artifact
- documentation

## Recommended resources

- [Domain Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/domain-canvas.md)
- [Capability Solution Design Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/capability-solution-design-canvas.md)
- [Interaction Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/interaction-canvas.md)
- [Capability Readiness & Operations Canvas](https://apiopscycles.com/resources/capability-readiness-operations-canvas.md)

## Participation by cycle and station

- [Capability Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/capability-productization-cycle.md) / [Capability Solution & Interaction Design](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/capability-productization-cycle/stations/api-design.md): lead
- [Capability Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/capability-productization-cycle.md) / [Capability Delivery & Operations](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/capability-productization-cycle/stations/api-delivery.md): consulted
- [Capability Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/capability-productization-cycle.md) / [Capability Readiness Assurance](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/capability-productization-cycle/stations/api-audit.md): consulted
- [API Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle.md) / [API Consumer Experience](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle/stations/api-consumer-experience.md): consulted
- [API Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle.md) / [API Design](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle/stations/api-design.md): lead
- [API Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle.md) / [API Delivery](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle/stations/api-delivery.md): core
- [API Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle.md) / [API Audit](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/api-productization-cycle/stations/api-audit.md): core
- [Integration Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/integration-productization-cycle.md) / [Integration Solution Design](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/integration-productization-cycle/stations/api-design.md): core
- [Integration Productization Cycle](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/integration-productization-cycle.md) / [Integration Delivery & Operations](https://apiopscycles.com/cycles/integration-productization-cycle/stations/api-delivery.md): consulted