The process of planning and structuring how an API will work, including endpoints, request/response formats, error handling, and versioning. Like designing the blueprint for a building before construction, ensuring everything fits together properly.
When designing a payment API, developers carefully plan endpoints like /payments, /refunds, and /subscriptions, choosing REST conventions and documenting expected inputs and outputs.
These managed API gateway/API management services help publish, secure, version, monitor, and operate APIs. They support API design workflows via OpenAPI specs, routing, auth, throttling, and lifecycle controls, though they are not the design activity itself.