[Docs] Create firebase-api-guidelines.md (#14325)

Author: ncooke3

docs/firebase-api-guidelines.md

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+# Firebase API Guidelines
+
+This document builds upon the design guidelines provided by [Swift's official
+API design guidelines][1] and the [Google Swift Style Guide][2]. It is essential
+to be familiar with these resources before proceeding with the API proposal
+process.
+
+If Objective-C is required, additionally refer to the [Google Objective-C Style
+Guide][3].
+
+## Guidance {:#guidance}
+
+### New APIs should be Swift-only {:#new-apis}
+
+Swift is the preferred language for Apple development, so new Firebase APIs
+should be fully optimized for Swift. When designing new APIs, consider whether
+they can be implemented in Swift only. If an Objective-C API is required, it
+should be carefully considered and justified.
+
+Note that Swift and Objective-C are interoperable, and a module's public
+Objective-C API will be exposed to Swift via a generated Swift interface. In
+some cases where the public Objective-C API surface is added to, the
+corresponding generated Swift interface should be manually refined to be more
+idiomatic. Apple provides a [guide][4] for improving such Objective-C API
+declarations for Swift.
+
+### Include Swift code samples  {:#include-swift}
+
+It is important for new APIs to be as easy to use in Swift as possible. When
+creating a proposal, prioritize Swift code samples to demonstrate the new API's
+usage.
+
+### Async API should be written in async/await form {:#async-api}
+
+Swift has built-in [support][5] for writing asynchronous code. If a
+callback-based API is required, it should be carefully considered and justified.
+Callbacks are still useful for capturing work to be done later, like for
+example, an event handler like SwiftUI's [`onSubmit`][6] view modifier.
+
+```swift
+// ✔ Preferred async/await form.
+public func fetchData() async throws -> Data { ... }
+
+// x Pre Swift Structured Concurrency. No longer preferred.
+public func fetchData(completion: (Data, any Error) -> Void) { ... }
+```
+
+### New APIs should be Sendable {:#new-apis}
+
+A [Sendable][7] type is one that is thread-safe and can be shared safely across
+multiple concurrency contexts. The requirements for conforming to the Sendable
+protocol vary depending on the type (class, actor, enum, struct, etc.). Swift 6
+introduces strict concurrency checking and enforces Sendable types in
+asynchronous code. If applicable, new APIs should be Sendable and designed to be
+used in an async context (e.g. `Task`).
+
+### API Availability {:#api-availability}
+
+By design, an API may not be available on a given Apple platform. Swift supports
+platform-specific compilation and runtime checks.
+
+Code can be conditionally compiled for only iOS by wrapping it with `#if
+os(iOS)and #endif`. For more info, refer to [NSHipster's guide][8].
+
+#### Platform Versioning Specification
+
+For code that builds on all platforms but should only be available on select
+platforms, use the `@available` declaration attribute discussed in [NSHipster's
+guide][9].
+
+Firebase's main distribution channel, Swift Package Manager, only supports a
+single minimum supported version for all products. This minimum supported
+version will correspond to Crashlytics and Analytics, which historically share a
+minimum supported version that is lower than the rest of Firebase. When adding a
+new API to the rest of Firebase, refer to the minimum supported versions in the
+product's CocoaPods podspec, and declare it on the API's signature via the
+[`@available`][9] declaration attribute.
+
+```swift
+@available(iOS 13, tvOS 13, macOS 10.15, macCatalyst 13, watchOS 7, *)
+func myNewAPI() { ... }
+```
+
+### Constants {:#constants}
+
+In Objective-C, constants were usually defined at the global level. In Swift,
+constants can instead be grouped under a case-less enum. The benefit of a
+case-less enum over a struct or class is that a case-less enum cannot be
+initialized. Additionally, Swift constants do not contain a "k" prefix.
+
+```swift
+public enum NetworkConstants {
+  public static let httpPostMethod = "POST"
+  public static let httpGetMethod = "GET"
+}
+```
+
+### Minimizing optionals {:#minimizing-optionals}
+
+Unlike Objective-C, Swift handles nullability in a type safe way using
+[optionals][10]. While useful, avoid overusing them as they can complicate
+the callsite.
+
+### Structs over enums for backwards compatibility {:#structs-enums}
+
+Adding a case to a Swift enum is a breaking change for clients switching
+over the enum's cases. Enums should be chosen when they are considered
+frozen or very unlikely to be changed (as major version releases occur
+about once a year).
+
+An alternative to using enums is to use structs. The following PRs use
+structs to model cases similar to how an enum does. One downside to this
+approach is that clients switching over a struct do not get a compile
+time check ensuring each case is handled.
+
+1. [firebase-ios-sdk/13728][11]
+1. [firebase-ios-sdk/13976][12]
+
+### Avoid Any, AnyObject, and NS-prefixed types {:#avoid-any,}
+
+In Swift, `Any` represents an instance of a reference or value type,
+while `AnyObject` represents reference types exclusively (making it
+similar to `id` in Objective-C). NS-prefixed types like `NSString` or
+`NSNumber` are reference types bridged from Objective-C. None of these
+should be used in the public Swift API. Using `Any` and `AnyObject` can
+make APIs harder to work with due to their lack of type safety and
+ambiguousness. NS-prefixed types on the other hand should be swapped
+\out for their corresponding Swift value type like `String` for
+`NSString`.
+
+For example, if a public API's signature uses a dictionary whose values
+should be either a `String` or `Int`, consider modeling this with an
+enum or struct rather than `Any`.
+
+```swift
+public struct CustomValue {
+  public static func string(_ string: String) -> Self { ... }
+  public static func integer(_ integer: Int) -> Self { ... }
+}
+
+func setValues(_ values: [String: CustomValue]) async throws { ... }
+```
+
+### Documentation {:#documentation}
+
+New APIs should have corresponding documentation using [Swift-flavored
+Markdown][13]. Xcode can generate a documentation block's structure when the
+cursor is in the method signature and ⌥ ⌘ / is pressed.
+
+### Naming Conventions {:#naming-conventions}
+
+[Swift's official API design guidelines][1] provide an overview to creating
+idiomatic Swift API.
+
+#### Optimize for clarity and expressiveness
+
+Choose names that leverage clarity over conciseness. For example, choose
+`fetchMetadata()` over `fetch()`.
+
+Avoid using _get_ as a prefix. For example, in Apple's WeatherKit, Apple
+[uses][14] `weather(for location: CLLocation)` instead of `getWeather(for
+location: CLLocation)`.
+
+#### Consistency with existing Firebase APIs
+
+Consider the precedent set by the existing API that is adjacent to the new API
+being added. New APIs should be consistent with the existing Firebase API
+surface, and diverge only when justified.
+
+### Errors {:#errors}
+
+If the new API can fail, mark the API as `throws` and create (or add onto) an
+existing public [error][15] for the API to throw. Swift provides an `Error`
+protocol that can be used to create descriptive errors that can be easily
+handled by clients.
+
+### Don't define typedefs {:#don't-define}
+
+_This guideline only applies when changing public Objective-C API_.
+
+Don't define typedefs as they hide the underlying type in the corresponding
+generated Swift API. Instead, use the full type, regardless of how long the
+Objective-C API signature becomes.
+
+[1]: https://www.swift.org/documentation/api-design-guidelines/
+[2]: https://google.github.io/swift/
+[3]: https://google.github.io/styleguide/objcguide.html
+[4]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swift/improving-objective-c-api-declarations-for-swift
+[5]: https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/documentation/the-swift-programming-language/concurrency/
+[6]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftui/view/onsubmit(of:_:)
+[7]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swift/sendable
+[8]: https://nshipster.com/swift-system-version-checking/
+[9]: https://nshipster.com/available/
+[10]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swift/optional
+[11]: https://github.com/firebase/firebase-ios-sdk/pull/13728
+[12]: https://github.com/firebase/firebase-ios-sdk/pull/13976
+[13]: https://nshipster.com/swift-documentation/
+[14]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/weatherkit/weatherservice/weather(for:)
+[15]: https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/documentation/the-swift-programming-language/errorhandling/