API Response Format

An API response format defines the structure of data returned by an API - the envelope around the payload (e.g., {"data": [...], "total": 100, "page": 1}), field names, data types, and nested object structures.

Consistent response formats make it easier to write robust parsing code. A well-designed API returns the same envelope for all successful responses, making it simple to write generic handling logic that extracts the payload regardless of which endpoint was called.

Common patterns include a data or results key for the payload, metadata at the top level, and errors in a structured error object with a message and code. Understanding the response format is the first step to writing reliable deserialization code.