OpenAPI Documentation Implementation Checklist
Use this checklist to verify the API documentation implementation is complete and correct.
Pre-Deployment Verification
1. Code Enhancement
Views (api/v1/views/license.py)
- All views have
@extend_schemadecorator -
LicenseAcquireViewhas comprehensive documentation -
LicenseHeartbeatViewhas comprehensive documentation -
LicenseReleaseViewhas comprehensive documentation - All endpoints tagged with 'License Management'
- All endpoints have
auth=['JWTAuthentication'] - All success responses have examples
- All error responses (400, 401, 404, 409, 410, 503, 500) documented
- Request parameters documented (path, query, body)
- OpenApiExample used for all response examples
Serializers (api/v1/serializers/license.py)
-
LicenseSerializerhas docstring with example -
LicenseSessionSerializerhas docstring with example -
LicenseAcquireSerializerhas docstring with example - All computed fields have
@extend_schema_fielddecorator - All fields have
help_textdescriptions - Field types correctly specified
Settings (license_platform/settings/base.py)
-
SPECTACULAR_SETTINGSconfigured - Title, description, version set
- Contact information added
- License information added
- Servers (dev, staging, prod) configured
- Tags defined (License Management, Authentication, Health)
- Security schemes configured (JWTAuthentication)
- Swagger UI settings configured
- External docs link added
2. Documentation Files
Core Documentation
-
docs/api-documentation.mdcreated (complete API reference) -
docs/api-readme.mdcreated (documentation guide) -
docs/openapi-documentation-summary.mdcreated (this implementation summary) -
docs/api-documentation-checklist.mdcreated (this file)
api-documentation.md Contents
- Table of contents
- Authentication section
- Overview section
- All 3 endpoints documented
- Request/response schemas for each endpoint
- Error responses documented
- Rate limits documented
- Python client example
- JavaScript client example
- Changelog
api-readme.md Contents
- Documentation files described
- Interactive documentation access explained
- Schema generation instructions
- Usage guides (consumers, developers, QA)
- Documentation standards
- Troubleshooting guide
- Best practices
3. Scripts
-
scripts/generate-openapi-schema.shcreated - Script is executable (
chmod +x) - Script activates virtual environment
- Script checks dependencies
- Script runs migrations if needed
- Script generates schema
- Script validates schema
- Script provides clear output
Testing Verification
1. Schema Generation
- Run
./scripts/generate-openapi-schema.sh - No errors during generation
-
openapi-schema.yamlfile created - Schema passes validation
- Schema size reasonable (not empty, not corrupted)
2. Interactive Documentation
Swagger UI
- Navigate to http://localhost:8000/api/docs/
- Page loads without errors
- All 3 license endpoints visible
- "Authorize" button present
- Can enter JWT token
- Can expand endpoints
- Examples display correctly
- "Try it out" works
- Request/response examples accurate
- Error examples display correctly
ReDoc
- Navigate to http://localhost:8000/api/redoc/
- Page loads without errors
- Clean three-panel layout
- All endpoints listed
- Code samples generated
- Examples display correctly
- Search functionality works
- Download schema button works
Schema Endpoint
- Navigate to http://localhost:8000/api/schema/
- Returns JSON
- JSON is valid OpenAPI 3.0
- Contains all endpoints
- Contains security schemes
- Contains component schemas
3. Documentation Quality
Content Accuracy
- All request examples valid JSON
- All response examples valid JSON
- Field types match implementation
- Status codes match implementation
- Error messages match implementation
- Realistic data in examples (not "foo", "bar")
Completeness
- All endpoints documented
- All request parameters documented
- All response fields documented
- All error cases documented
- Authentication documented
- Rate limits documented
Clarity
- Descriptions are clear and concise
- Examples are self-explanatory
- No technical jargon without explanation
- Code samples are complete and runnable
- Troubleshooting guide is helpful
Client Integration Testing
1. Import into API Clients
Postman
- Download schema from http://localhost:8000/api/schema/
- Import into Postman (File → Import)
- All endpoints imported correctly
- Examples present in requests
- Authentication configured
- Can execute test requests
Insomnia
- Download schema
- Import into Insomnia
- All endpoints imported correctly
- Examples present
- Authentication configured
- Can execute test requests
2. Code Examples
Python Example
- Copy Python example from docs/api-documentation.md
- Code runs without syntax errors
- Can acquire license (with valid token and license)
- Can send heartbeat
- Can release license
- Error handling works
JavaScript Example
- Copy JavaScript example from docs/api-documentation.md
- Code runs without syntax errors
- Can acquire license (with valid token and license)
- Heartbeat interval works
- Can release license
- Error handling works
Quality Standards
OpenAPI 3.0 Compliance
- Schema is valid OpenAPI 3.0
- Uses correct spec version (3.0.0 or higher)
- All required fields present (info, paths, components)
- Correct HTTP methods used (GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE)
- Response status codes follow REST conventions
Security Documentation
- Security schemes defined
- JWT bearer authentication documented
- Auth requirements specified per endpoint
- Token format explained
- Token lifetime documented
Error Handling
- All error status codes documented
- Error response format consistent
- Error examples provided
- Error descriptions clear
- Troubleshooting guidance included
Deployment Checklist
Pre-Deployment
- All code changes reviewed
- All tests passing
- Documentation files committed to git
- Schema generation script tested
- Interactive docs tested locally
Deployment Steps
-
Code Deployment:
- Merge documentation PR
- Deploy to staging environment
- Deploy to production environment
-
Verification:
- Staging Swagger UI accessible
- Staging ReDoc accessible
- Production Swagger UI accessible
- Production ReDoc accessible
- Schema download works (staging & production)
-
Communication:
- Announce documentation availability
- Share Swagger UI link
- Share ReDoc link
- Share API documentation file
- Update main project README
Post-Deployment
- Monitor for documentation errors
- Gather user feedback
- Address documentation issues
- Update examples if needed
- Maintain changelog
Maintenance Checklist
Regular Maintenance (Weekly)
- Verify documentation endpoints accessible
- Check for broken links
- Review user feedback
- Update examples if API changed
On API Changes
- Update
@extend_schemadecorators - Add/update examples
- Regenerate schema
- Update api-documentation.md
- Update changelog
- Announce breaking changes
Version Updates
- Update version number in SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS
- Update version in api-documentation.md
- Create migration guide (if breaking changes)
- Deprecate old endpoints (if applicable)
- Maintain backward compatibility period
Issue Tracking
Use this section to track any issues found during verification:
Issues Found
| Issue | Severity | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Resolved Issues
| Issue | Severity | Resolution | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
Sign-Off
Development Team
- Code review complete
- Tests passing
- Documentation reviewed
Reviewed By: _______________ Date: _______________
QA Team
- Documentation tested
- Examples validated
- Client integration tested
Tested By: _______________ Date: _______________
Product/API Team
- Documentation accurate
- Examples clear
- Ready for release
Approved By: _______________ Date: _______________
Last Updated: November 30, 2025 Version: 1.0.0 Status: Ready for Review