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API Documentation

Document template for Google Docs and Word

Make a copy in Google Docs
Type
Document
Price
Free
Pages
14 · US Letter
Style
Modern
Difficulty
Intermediate
Updated
October 29, 2026

Every page (14)

Overview

Developers judge an API by how quickly they get a correct response and how clearly it explains failure. This template is a complete REST reference for a fictional payments API, laid out the way integrators read it: overview and base URL, authentication, a fifteen-minute quick start, an endpoint index, worked requests with the real responses, error codes, rate limits, webhooks and a dated changelog.

Every page carries specific sample content, from a bearer-token request to a 429 with Retry-After headers and a deprecation with its sunset date. Replace the sample API with yours, run each example against your sandbox, and delete the guidance page at the end.

Useful for

  • A REST API reference for partners and customers integrating with your product
  • Internal API documentation for a platform team's shared services
  • A developer portal starting point while you build a full docs site

What's included

  • Photo cover with API name, version and base URL
  • Contents page and an overview with key facts and a resource table
  • Authentication page with key types, a sample request and scopes
  • Quick start in four steps with a first request and response
  • Endpoint index grouped by resource, with methods, paths and scopes
  • Worked examples: parameters table, request, response and status flow
  • Rate limits by plan, service levels and a pagination reference
  • Error code table with what to do for each, webhooks and a dated changelog
  • Make it yours page with credits

How to use it

  1. 1

    Click Make a copy in Google Docs, then confirm on the Google page. The copy is saved to your own Google Drive.

  2. 2

    Replace the API name, base URL, version prefix and authentication scheme on the cover, overview and authentication pages.

  3. 3

    Run each sample request against your sandbox and paste in the real response, trimmed to the fields that matter.

  4. 4

    Rewrite the rate-limit table, error codes and webhook events so they list only what your API actually does.

  5. 5

    Date the changelog, mark any breaking change, then delete the Make it yours page and export with File → Download → PDF if you need one.

What you need

Requirements

  • A Google account with access to Google Drive

Works with

  • Google Docs
  • Microsoft Word (download the .docx)

Questions

Are the code samples in a monospace font?

They are set in the template's Inter body font on a dark panel, so they look the same in every Google account. Select a sample and change its font to Roboto Mono or another monospace font if you prefer.

Can I use it for an API that is not about payments?

Yes. The payments content is sample data for a fictional company. Keep the structure, which works for any REST API, and swap the endpoints, parameters and examples for your own.

Does it replace a developer portal?

It is a good first version, and a document partners can read offline or comment on. As the API grows, move the reference into a docs site generated from your OpenAPI file and keep this document for the guide and changelog.

Who took the cover photo?

Pankaj Patel on Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License and credited on the cover.

  • #api-documentation
  • #rest-api
  • #developer-docs
  • #reference
  • #technical-writing

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