Fed Up with Swagger's Complicated UI?Let’s Find Simpler Alternatives

As a developer, creating API documentation is routine. For years, Swagger has been my default tool for this, but despite its powerful features, I've often found it cumbersome. Swagger’s extensive annotations and lack of permission controls have complicated my workflow. In this article, I’ll outline the challenges I’ve faced with Swagger, how they impacted my productivity, and how I ultimately discovered a better solution.

The Struggles with Swagger: A Developer's Experience

Working with Swagger for API documentation has been a mixed experience. Despite its rich feature set, the user experience can be quite frustrating. Here are a few issues that I, along with many other developers, have encountered:

1. Tedious Swagger Annotations

Incorporating Swagger into a project demands writing numerous annotations, which significantly increases my workload and annoyance. To illustrate, consider the following example:

@Api(tags = "User-dependent interface")
@RestController
@RequestMapping("user")
public class UserController {

    @ApiOperation("Gets the user object by id")
    @GetMapping("/getById")
    public Result<User> debug(Long id) {
        User user = new User();
        return Result.OK(user);
    }

    @ApiOperation("New user return")
    @PostMapping("/save")
    public Result<User> save(@RequestBody User user) {
        return Result.OK(user);
    }

    @ApiOperation("Modify the user and return")
    @PostMapping("/update")
    public Result<User> update(@RequestBody User user) {
        return Result.OK(user);
    }

    @ApiOperation("Delete a user by id")
    @DeleteMapping("/deleteById")
    public Result<?> deleteById(@RequestParam @ApiParam("id") Long id) {
        return Result.OK();
    }
}

Having to manually add annotations for every endpoint clutters the code and makes it harder to maintain.

2. Lack of Permission Configuration

Swagger lacks built-in permission configuration, meaning you can't restrict access to certain API documentation. This is particularly problematic when you need to document sensitive or proprietary APIs without exposing them to everyone.

A Game Changer: EchoAPI

After wrestling with Swagger’s UI for far too long, I started exploring alternatives. That’s when I discovered EchoAPI, a tool that completely transformed my API documentation workflow.

User-Friendly Interface

EchoAPI’s interface is designed for ease of use. Its intuitive layout allows you to quickly access the features you need, without any unnecessary complexity. Within minutes of using it, I felt completely comfortable, as if I’d been using it for years.

Seamless Project Import

EchoAPI shines with its ability to import projects from popular API tools like Swagger, Postman, Insomnia, and apidoc. This feature made transitioning from Swagger quick and easy, turning what could have been a complex migration into a seamless process.

One-Click Documentation Generation

With EchoAPI, you can generate clean, concise API documentation with just one click. Using the "Share" button, you can quickly create and distribute documentation, and any updates are reflected in real-time, keeping everything in sync with minimal effort.

This one-click functionality has saved me countless hours and ensured that my documentation is always current and accurate.

Document Security and Customization

With EchoAPI, you can easily set a password to protect your documentation, ensuring that only authorized individuals have access. Additionally, you can personalize your documentation by setting a custom logo, enhancing your brand visibility and making your documents look even more professional.

EchoAPI for IntelliJ IDEA

If you are a developer using IntelliJ IDEA, you can download the EchoAPI for IntelliJ IDEA plugin. This plugin can generate interfaces directly from your code and instantly share them as API documentation, all without needing to install a separate client. It's incredibly lightweight and hassle-free.

sync and click share

Conclusion

While Swagger remains a strong tool for API documentation, its reliance on annotations and lack of permission control can significantly hinder productivity. EchoAPI offers a refreshing alternative with its intuitive interface, seamless project imports, one-click documentation generation, and easy access control.

Switching to EchoAPI has streamlined my documentation workflow, reduced errors, and enhanced the overall readability and usability of my API documentation. For any developer frustrated by Swagger’s complexities, EchoAPI provides a highly efficient and user-friendly alternative. If you find yourself entangled in Swagger’s labyrinthine UI, give EchoAPI a try—it might just be the solution you’ve been searching for.