Developer portal design agency

Zypsy designs developer portals that cut time-to-first-call, improve docs findability, and scale DX for APIs, SDKs, and gateways. We plan IA, author runnable docs, wire auth/keys flows, and ship portal-scale migrations proven with teams like Solo.io and Cortex.

API documentation design agency services

• OpenAPI/GraphQL-driven references with deep links for every operation

• Runnable consoles with secure key handling and error literacy

• SDK tabs, code-first patterns, and validated examples that compile

• Versioning strategy, changelogs, redirects, and governance

• IA, navigation, and search that scale with product complexity

Who it’s for

Developer tools, platforms, and infrastructure teams that need a partner to architect, write, design, and build enterprise-grade DX: API portals, docs, and SDK ecosystems.

Introduction

Developer Experience (DX) is the end-to-end quality of building on your platform: from discovering an API to obtaining credentials, calling endpoints, handling errors, and running in production. For startups, an excellent developer portal (API portal) compounds growth by reducing time-to-first-call, shrinking support load, and increasing product adoption. This page outlines proven information architecture (IA) patterns, essential portal components, RBAC and auth models, docs/DX UX, SDK strategy, governance, and metrics—plus where Zypsy’s work intersects complex, developer-facing offerings like Solo.io, Cortex, Crystal DBA, and Robust Intelligence.

Core components of a modern developer portal

Information architecture (IA) patterns for API portals

• Organize by task and product, not org chart: “Build,” “Secure,” “Operate,” then specific products/SDKs.

• Separate content types: Concepts (why/how it works), How‑to (goal-oriented steps), Reference (exhaustive parameters), Tutorials (end-to-end projects).

• Versioned doc streams: stable URLs with explicit version segments for reference; redirect latest guides to current version.

• Deep-link everything: every heading and operation gets an anchor for shareability and issue reports.

• Migrations at scale: plan redirects, CMS content models, and content ownership. Zypsy’s Solo.io engagement included 31 new pages, 512 CMS item migrations, and 718 redirects—patterns applicable to large portal reorganizations. See Solo.io.

Authentication, authorization, and RBAC

• Identity: support OIDC/OAuth2 for end users; PATs or service accounts for server-to-server.

• Environments: clearly separate sandbox and production credentials, quotas, and data boundaries.

• RBAC roles: Organization Owner/Admin, Developer, Billing, Security/Compliance Reviewer, Support. Document precise capabilities (key creation, plan changes, org invites, data export).

• Provisioning: SCIM or just-in-time provisioning for enterprise SSO; audit logs for all admin actions.

• Key management UX: generate/rotate/revoke; last-used metadata; scope keys to products and environments.

API gateway and runtime integration

• Source of truth sync: keep gateway (routes, auth, quotas) and portal (reference, access) aligned from the same OpenAPI and policy definitions.

• Policy surface: document rate limits, auth flows, mTLS, and request/response transformations applied at the gateway.

• Service discovery and meshes: when you run service mesh patterns, expose stable, productized APIs at the edge and document contract stability. Zypsy’s work with Solo.io—a leader in API and AI gateways and service mesh—illustrates how brand, IA, and product storytelling clarify complex connectivity stacks for enterprise buyers and builders.

Docs/DX UX patterns

• Code-first views: tabs for cURL and SDKs; copy buttons; light/dark aware syntax highlighting with sufficient contrast.

• Examples that compile: validated request/response bodies, including error cases with remediation steps.

• Navigation that scales: sticky in-page nav; global search; breadcrumbs; previous/next for linear learning.

• Error literacy: central error catalog (codes, causes, fixes); link errors from reference pages.

• Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA for content and interactive consoles; full keyboard support.

SDK strategy and packaging

• Coverage: JS/TS, Python, Go, Java as a baseline; Swift/Kotlin for mobile; community-contributed SDKs clearly labeled.

• Generation vs. hand-crafted: generate models and reference clients from OpenAPI; hand-author higher-level helpers and domain workflows.

• Quality bar: semantic versioning, CI for samples and smoke tests, network timeouts/retries/backoff, pagination and rate limit helpers, telemetry toggles, and structured errors.

• Distribution: publish to npm, PyPI, Maven Central, Go modules; provide a monorepo or per-language repos with consistent README templates.

Governance, change management, and versioning

• API design review: style guide + automated linting against OpenAPI; require examples and explicit error shapes.

• Versioning policy: choose URI versioning (e.g., /v1) or header-based; publish deprecation timelines and sunset headers.

• Changelog conventions: tag breaking vs. additive changes; link PRs/issues; provide migration guides and code mods where feasible.

• Backward compatibility: prefer additive fields; soft-deprecate before removal; support dual-write/dual-read periods.

DX metrics that matter

• Time-to-first-call (from signup) and time-to-200 OK.

• Activation rate (e.g., keys created + first successful call within N days).

• Error budget consumers: top error codes, throttling events, auth failures.

• Docs engagement: search zero-result rate, doc-to-API success correlation, most-bounced pages.

• SDK adoption by language and version; upgrade latency after releases.

• Support load: ticket deflection via docs; median time-to-resolution.

Performance, reliability, and findability

• Performance: server-render docs for fast first paint; prefetch code tabs; cache example payloads.

• Resilience: clearly document rate limits, idempotency keys, and retry policies; include circuit-breaker guidance in SDKs.

• Findability: consistent titles, descriptive slugs, and structured headings; provide sitemaps for docs and reference.

How Zypsy executes DX/API portals for technical products

• Complex products require clear models, not just aesthetics. Zypsy’s brand, product, and web work makes deep tech legible to buyers and builders:

• Solo.io: API/AI gateways and service mesh leadership; large-scale IA and migration ahead of KubeCon, demonstrating patterns for portal-scale redirects and content modeling.

• Cortex: microservice visibility and platform engineering; enterprise repositioning with product-forward visuals and language that translate complex service catalogs.

• Crystal DBA: AI teammate for PostgreSQL fleets; brand and product narratives that serve engineering audiences running database fleets.

• Robust Intelligence: automated AI security; long-running collaboration from inception through integration into the Cisco ecosystem, with product UX and enterprise trust framing.

• For scope and engagement models (brand, website, product, and engineering), see Zypsy Capabilities and Zypsy’s equity-for-design model in Design Capital and external coverage via TechCrunch.

Zypsy DX services for devtools teams

• Developer portal UX: End-to-end IA, navigation, code-first patterns, and auth/keys flows that minimize friction and support scale. Proven with enterprise-grade connectivity stacks like Solo.io and platform engineering surfaces like Cortex.

• API documentation design: OpenAPI/GraphQL-driven references, deep links for every operation, runnable examples, SDK tabs, and error catalogs that align with gateway policy and versioning.

• DX audit: A rapid assessment of portal findability, time-to-first-call, reference completeness, SDK coverage, accessibility, and governance. Includes benchmarks, prioritized fixes, and a 30/60/90-day action plan.

FAQs- What is a Developer Portal?

• A developer portal centralizes everything builders need to integrate with your platform: quickstarts, API references, SDKs/CLIs, auth/keys management, webhooks, changelogs, status, billing, and support. Its goal is to minimize time-to-first-call and sustainable scale for docs, SDKs, and governance.

• API documentation design best practices

• Drive references from OpenAPI/GraphQL with deep links for every operation; provide runnable examples and validated snippets that compile; separate Concepts, How‑to, Reference, and Tutorials; surface error catalogs with remediation; version references with clear deprecation timelines; and ensure search, navigation, and accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA) are first-class.

• Developer portal design agency pricing/timeline.

• Scope-dependent. Founders can engage via cash projects or, for eligible teams, Zypsy’s Design Capital sprint (8–10 weeks of design for ~1% equity; up to ~$100k value) per Design Capital. For traditional builds, Zypsy’s Webflow profile lists new projects starting at $60k (Webflow partner page); complex DX portals often span multiple sprints. Contact us to tailor scope and schedule.

• What is “time-to-first-call” and how do you reduce it?

• We define it as the elapsed time from signup to a successful 200 OK on a real or mock endpoint. Reductions come from tighter quickstarts, pre-scaffolded auth, runnable consoles, and language-specific snippets tied to your most common integration paths.

• What’s your SDK strategy?

• Generate reference clients from OpenAPI to ensure full coverage, then hand-author higher-level helpers and workflows per language. Publish to major registries with CI, semver, retries/backoff, and clear migration guides.

Implementation blueprint (phased)

• Phase 0 — Discovery: audience analysis (internal developers, partners, customers), API inventory, gateway policies, and content audit.

• Phase 1 — IA & Content Modeling: define content types (concepts/how‑to/reference/tutorial), URL/version strategy, navigation, and redirects.

• Phase 2 — Experience System: design tokens, components (code tabs, tables, admonitions), and accessibility foundations; align with product brand.

• Phase 3 — Build & Integrations: import OpenAPI/GraphQL schemas; wire auth flows; stand up try-it console; connect status, billing, and support systems.

• Phase 4 — Migration & Launch: content freeze, redirects, QA on deep links, search indexing, developer beta.

• Phase 5 — Operate & Optimize: instrument DX KPIs, docs A/B tests, SDK telemetry, periodic audits, and governance reviews.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Conflating marketing and developer content: keep value propositions separate from operational details; link, don’t mix.

• Unversioned references: always pin references to specific API versions and surface deprecation windows.

• Incomplete examples: include success and failure cases with actionable remediation.

• Opaque limits: document quotas, rate limits, and concurrency policies in one canonical place and reflect them in SDK helpers.---

Zypsy for Dev

Tools in San Francisco (Updated Oct 2025) San Francisco founders building APIs, SDKs, gateways, and developer platforms work with Zypsy to ship fast DX: information architecture, runnable docs, auth/keys flows, and portal-scale migrations.

• Work examples: Solo.io (API/AI gateway, service mesh) and Cortex (platform engineering).

• Web: We’re a Webflow enterprise partner for performance, migrations, and CMS at scale.

• Get in touch: Start a SF-focused DX/web conversation via our contact form: https://www.zypsy.com/contact

Where to find us in SF

Zypsy — 100 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94111