Data Schema

A data schema defines the structure of a dataset or API response - field names, data types (string, integer, boolean, timestamp), which fields are required vs optional, and how nested objects and arrays are organized.

When integrating with an API, the response schema tells you exactly what to expect. Knowing that price is always a number, status is one of a fixed set of strings, and photos is an array of URL strings lets you write reliable parsing and storage code.

Well-documented schemas are a hallmark of high-quality APIs. Schema changes that remove or rename fields are breaking changes that require careful versioning and migration planning.