API Requirements Document | Mobile Development
API Requirements Document
Mobile Application Development
1. Purpose & Scope
This document defines the API requirements for the mobile application. It serves as a reference
for both the mobile development team and backend engineers to ensure seamless integration.
1.1 Objectives
• Define all required API endpoints for mobile features
• Specify request/response formats and authentication flows
• Establish error handling conventions and status codes
• Set performance and security expectations
1.2 Target Platforms
• iOS (Swift / React Native / Flutter)
• Android (Kotlin / React Native / Flutter)
2. Project Information
Field Details
Project Name [App Name]
App Type Mobile (iOS & Android)
Backend Stack [e.g., [Link] / Django / Laravel]
API Style RESTful / GraphQL
Data Format JSON
Base URL (Dev) [Link]
Base URL (Staging) [Link]
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Field Details
Base URL (Production) [Link]
3. Authentication & Authorization
3.1 Authentication Method
The API uses JWT (JSON Web Token) Bearer token authentication. All protected endpoints
require the Authorization header.
3.2 Required Headers
Header Value Required
Content-Type application/json Yes
Authorization Bearer <access_token> Yes (protected
routes)
Accept application/json Yes
X-App-Version 1.0.0 Recommended
X-Platform ios / android Recommended
3.3 Token Lifecycle
• Access Token expires in: 15 minutes
• Refresh Token expires in: 30 days
• On expiry, call POST /auth/refresh with the refresh token
• On logout, invalidate both tokens via POST /auth/logout
4. API Endpoints
4.1 Authentication Endpoints
Method Endpoint Description Auth Required
POST /auth/register Register a new user No
POST /auth/login Login and receive tokens No
POST /auth/logout Invalidate session tokens Yes
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Method Endpoint Description Auth Required
POST /auth/refresh Refresh access token No
POST /auth/forgot-password Request password reset OTP No
POST /auth/reset-password Reset password with OTP No
POST /auth/verify-otp Verify phone/email OTP No
4.2 User Profile Endpoints
Method Endpoint Description Auth Required
GET /user/profile Get current user profile Yes
PUT /user/profile Update profile information Yes
POST /user/avatar Upload profile picture Yes
DELETE /user/account Delete user account Yes
GET /user/settings Get app settings/preferences Yes
PUT /user/settings Update app settings Yes
4.3 Core Feature Endpoints
(Replace with your app-specific features below)
Method Endpoint Description Auth Required
GET /items List items with pagination Yes
POST /items Create a new item Yes
GET /items/:id Get single item details Yes
PUT /items/:id Update an item Yes
DELETE /items/:id Delete an item Yes
GET /items/search Search items by query Yes
4.4 Notifications
Method Endpoint Description Auth Required
POST /notifications/register Register FCM/APNS device token Yes
GET /notifications List user notifications Yes
PUT /notifications/:id/read Mark notification as read Yes
DELETE /notifications/clear Clear all notifications Yes
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5. Request & Response Format
5.1 Sample Login Request
POST /auth/login
{ "email": "user@[Link]", "password": "••••••••" }
5.2 Sample Success Response
{ "status": "success", "code": 200,
"data": { "token": "eyJ...", "refresh_token": "abc..." },
"message": "Login successful" }
5.3 Sample Error Response
{ "status": "error", "code": 401,
"message": "Invalid credentials", "errors": [] }
6. HTTP Status Codes
Code Status When Used
200 OK Successful GET, PUT, PATCH requests
201 Created Successful POST that creates a resource
204 No Content Successful DELETE requests
400 Bad Request Invalid request body or missing fields
401 Unauthorized Missing or expired access token
403 Forbidden Authenticated but lacks permission
404 Not Found Resource does not exist
409 Conflict Duplicate resource (e.g. email already exists)
422 Unprocessable Entity Validation errors
429 Too Many Requests Rate limit exceeded
500 Internal Server Error Unexpected server-side error
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7. Pagination
All list endpoints support cursor-based pagination with the following query parameters:
Parameter Type Default Description
page integer 1 Page number (offset pagination)
limit integer 20 Number of items per page (max: 100)
cursor string null Cursor ID for cursor-based pagination
sort string created_at Field to sort by
order string desc Sort direction: asc or desc
Pagination response envelope:
"pagination": { "total": 240, "page": 1, "limit": 20, "next_cursor":
"xyz" }
8. File Uploads
File uploads use multipart/form-data. Do not use application/json for upload endpoints.
Field Details
Content-Type multipart/form-data
Max File Size 5 MB per file
Supported Formats JPEG, PNG, PDF, MP4
Upload Endpoint POST /uploads
Response { "url": "[Link] "id": "..." }
9. Performance & Rate Limits
Metric Requirement
Response Time (p95) < 500ms for all endpoints
Authentication endpoints 100 requests / minute per IP
General API 300 requests / minute per user
File upload 10 requests / minute per user
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Metric Requirement
Timeout (client-side) 30 seconds recommended
Retry strategy Exponential backoff with max 3 retries
10. Security Requirements
• All endpoints must use HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)
• Sensitive data (passwords, tokens) must never be logged
• Implement CORS for allowed mobile origins
• Tokens must be stored in secure storage on device (Keychain / Keystore)
• API keys must not be hardcoded in mobile app source code
• Certificate pinning recommended for production apps
• Input validation must be enforced server-side
11. Environments
Environment Base URL Purpose
Development [Link] Active development & testing
Staging [Link] QA & pre-release testing
Production [Link] Live users
End of Document
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