API v API operation v API endpoint

[Rick-Anderson]

Description

• Add an H2 defining API with examples, etc
• Review docs for consistency in definitions and add links to preceding H2

What CoPilot suggests:

API Operation: For a specific combination of HTTP method and path, you can use "API Operation" or simply "Operation." This aligns with the terminology used in OpenAPI.

API Endpoint: Another term often used to describe a specific URL that an API interacts with, typically combining HTTP method and path.

API: When referring to the broader concept of the set of available functionalities (all operations collectively), you can continue to use "API."

Example:
API Operation: "A specific combination of an HTTP method and path."

API: "The overall set of available operations."

Usage in Documentation:
Specific Operation: "Each API operation in the OpenAPI document is defined by an HTTP method and path."

Entire Set: "The API includes multiple operations, each described in the OpenAPI document."

Page URL

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/fundamentals/openapi/overview?view=aspnetcore-9.0

Content source URL

https://github.com/dotnet/AspNetCore.Docs/blob/main/aspnetcore/fundamentals/openapi/overview.md

Document ID

d8ac1ac3-8b34-6886-bca4-740514f94229

Article author

@Rick-Anderson

Metadata

• ID: d8ac1ac3-8b34-6886-bca4-740514f94229
• Service: aspnet-core
• Sub-service: fundamentals

Related Issues

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Associated WorkItem - 360919

[mikekistler]

Related:

Microsoft.AspNetCore has an Endpoint class which "Represents a logical endpoint in an application."

There is also the EndpointMetadataCollection class, which is "A collection of arbitrary metadata associated with an endpoint."

[mikekistler]

@Rick-Anderson The definitions you propose look good to me. If we go with those then we'll need to update the docs for ApiDescription to make it clear that it describes an "API Endpoint".