API Documentation Sample

SentinelAI API Documentation 

Developer Integration Guide 

Version:1.0

Audience:Software Engineers,Platform Architects,Integration Partners 

Document Type:Public API Overview 

Introduction 

The SentinelAI API provides developers with programmatic access to SentinelAI's intelligence platform.It allows applications to submit data,request inferences,automate workflows and retrieve AI outputs in real-time.

The API which is designed for reliability,security and transparency—-has ensured that all it's endpoints follow consistent patterns.

This document would outline the core concepts,available endpoints,request and response structures with usage guidelines.

API Design Principles 

The SentinelAI API is built around five core principles;

1.Simplicity over abstraction 

2.Explicit actions over explicit behaviour 

3.Human oversight by default 

4.Deterministic responses where possible 

5.Full auditability 

The API doesn't expose black-box behaviour because every inference can be traced,reviewed and inspected.

Authentication 

All API requests which requires authentication must use an API key.These keys are issued based on current location.

Authentication is performed using an authorisation header.

Example format;

Authorisation: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

This keys must never be embedded directly in client-side code.

Base URL 

All requests are made at the HTTPS.

Base URL: https://api.sentinelal.example/v1 (Portfolio placeholder)

Core Concepts 

Events 

An event represents any action,signal or datapoint being submitted to SentinelAI for analysis.This events are immutable and time-stamped.

Decisions 

A decision is the output generated by SentinelAI after it must have processed one or two events.This decisions includes explanations,confidence scores and audit references.

Workflows 

A workflow which defined by automated behaviour is majorly triggered by decisions.These workflows are configurable and permission-bound.

Submit Event Endpoint;

Used to send structured data into SentinelAI 

Endpoint;

POST /events

Request body example;

(“event_type”: “payment_attempt”, “source”:

“checkout_service”,”payload”: {“user_id”:

“12345”, “amount”: 250.00,”currency”: “USD”,

“location”: “US”} }

Behavior;

1.Validates schema

2.Applies normalisation 

3.Stores event reference 

4.Triggers inference pipeline 

Request Decision Endpoint 

This used to request for an AI-generated decision based on submitted data.

Endpoint:

POST /decisions 

Request body example;

{“event_id”: “evt_987654”,”decision_type”:

“fraud_risk_assessment” }

Response includes;

1.Decision outcome 

2.Risk scores

3.Confidence level 

4.Audit reference ID

If this thresholds aren't met,the decision is then forwarded for human review.

Retrieve Decision Details 

This is used to retrieve full explanation data for a prior decision.

Endpoint;

GET /decisions/{decision_id}

Returned data includes;

1.Input data references 

2.Applied models 

3.Logic path summary 

4.Feature impact indicators 

5.Final outcomes

This endpoint is mainly aimed at compliance and audits.

Workflow Execution

Workflows allow automated actions based on decision outcomes.

Endpoint:

POST /workflows/execute 

Request body example:

{“workflow_id”: “wf_123”, “decision_id”:

“dec_456” }

Workflow execution is restricted only to approved activities while all executions are logged and reversible where applicable.

Error Handling 

The API uses standard HTTPS status code.

Common responses includes;

400 — Invalid request 

401 — Unauthorised 

403 — Access denied 

404 — Resource not found 

429 — Rate limit exceeded 

500 — Internal system error 

This error responses includes both a human-readable message and reference ID.

Rate Limits

API usage is rate-limited per key to ensure the stability of the system.

Limits are configurable per customer and location.

Exceeded limits return a 429 status code.

Security and Compliance 

SentinelAI enforces:

1.End-to-end encryption 

2.Role-based control access 

3.Request validation 

4.Immutable audit logs

No raw data is stored permanently because it's access is traceable.

Policy Versions 

The API uses several endpoints.Breaking changes are introduced only in new versions while older versions are supported for a defined depreciation period.

Best Practices 

1.Validate data before submission 

2.Do not assume deterministic outcomes 

3.Monitor audit logs

4.Rotate API keys regularly

Limitations 

The SentinelAI API doesn't;

1.Make irreversible decisions without review 

2.Provide legal or medical advice 

3.Operate without authentication 

4.Bypass governance rules 

Getting Started

Developers can begin by;

1.Requesting API credentials 

2.Reviewing schemas 

3.Testing with sandbox models 

4.Enabling audit logging 

Support and Resources 

Available upon request:

→ OpenAPI specifications 

→ SDK samples 

→ Postman collections

→ Sandbox models 

→ Developer onboarding guides