📄 Reading: Technical Documentation
3 exercises — read authentic API documentation and README files. Practice comprehension, True/False/Not Stated, and identifying key information.
Reading technical documentation: key strategies
- Read error tables carefully — they define the contract
- Look for qualifiers: "only when," "required if," "optional"
- True/False/Not Stated: answer from the text only — not your prior knowledge
- Identify required vs. optional parameters and dependencies
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API Documentation
GET /users/{id}
Returns a single user object by ID.
**Path Parameters**
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|--------|----------|------------------------|
| id | string | Yes | The unique user ID |
**Response 200 OK**
```json
{
"id": "u_8fkd92",
"email": "alex@example.com",
"role": "admin",
"created_at": "2024-01-15T09:30:00Z"
}
```
**Error Responses**
| Status | Meaning |
|--------|--------------------------------------|
| 401 | Unauthorized — missing or invalid token |
| 403 | Forbidden — valid token, insufficient permissions |
| 404 | User not found |According to the API documentation above, what happens if a client sends a valid authentication token but the user does not have permission to access the requested resource?
403 Forbidden — valid token, insufficient permissions:
The documentation clearly distinguishes between two authentication-related errors:
Reading strategy: In API docs, error response tables often have the most important information for developers. Read them carefully — they define the contract between client and server.
Key vocabulary from this doc:
The documentation clearly distinguishes between two authentication-related errors:
- 401 Unauthorized → the token is missing or invalid — "Who are you?"
- 403 Forbidden → the token is valid, but the user doesn't have permission — "I know who you are, but you can't do this."
Reading strategy: In API docs, error response tables often have the most important information for developers. Read them carefully — they define the contract between client and server.
Key vocabulary from this doc:
- Path parameter — part of the URL path, e.g.,
/users/{id} - Authorization — who has permission to do what
- ISO 8601 — the standard date-time format:
2024-01-15T09:30:00Z
Next up: Error Messages & Logs →