endpointin

Endpointin is a lightweight, machine-readable schema for describing an API endpoint and its metadata. It is designed as a compact alternative or complement to larger API description formats, focusing on the boundary of a single endpoint and its inputs and outputs.

A typical endpointin document describes the endpoint’s path and HTTP method, a brief description, input parameters with their location (path, query, header, or body), the expected request body schema, possible responses with status codes and response schemas, authentication requirements, rate limits, and versioning or deprecation status. It emphasizes clarity and ease of use for automation and discovery.

Format and interoperability: Endpointin is presented as text-based data, commonly in YAML or JSON. It aims to be readable by humans and easily consumed by tooling, supporting generation of lightweight documentation, client stubs, and automated tests. It is not a formal standard and is often used alongside more comprehensive specifications such as OpenAPI, serving as a focused, endpoint-level index.

Use cases and tooling: Projects adopt endpointin to produce quick API anchors, validate endpoints during continuous integration, and enable rapid client SDK generation. It serves as a simple, endpoint-centric supplement to broader API descriptions, helping teams maintain a consistent view of individual endpoints.

Example snippet:

endpointin:

name: ListUsers

path: /api/users

method: GET

description: Retrieve a list of users

parameters:

- name: page

in: query

required: false

schema:

type: integer

responses:

200:

description: A JSON array of user objects

content:

application/json:

schema:

type: array

items:

$ref: '#/components/schemas/User'

Origin and status: The term endpointin originated in developer communities as a teaching concept and has no single governing body or official worldwide adoption. It is used primarily in educational and lightweight documentation contexts.