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API / Swagger Interview questions

What is a response object in OpenAPI?

A response object describes what an operation returns for a specific HTTP status code — its description, headers, and the schema of its body content — and every operation's responses field maps possible status codes to these descriptions.

responses:
  '200':
    description: Successful retrieval
    content:
      application/json:
        schema:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/User'
  '404':
    description: User not found

Documenting error responses (like the 404 above) alongside success responses is just as important as the success case: a well-documented API tells consumers exactly what error shape to expect for common failure conditions, rather than leaving them to discover it through trial and error against a live server.

A special key, default, can also be used to describe the response for any status code not explicitly listed, which is a convenient way to document a general error response shape without enumerating every possible HTTP status code individually.

What key describes the response for any status code not explicitly listed?
Why is documenting error responses important?

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