IPA-100: Language

Developers worldwide use MongoDB, and many customers who don't speak English as their first language consume our APIs. It is important to avoid any possible confusion across different idioms and colloquialisms unifying to a common language.

Guidance

1. Lint rule ↗

   API producers must use American English across the API.

   This includes but is not limited to:

   • Resource names
   • Field names
   • Descriptions
   • Enum values

   note

   The MongoDB Style Guide uses the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2003. Continually updated at https://www.merriam-webster.com/.

   properties:
     status:
       type: string
       enum:
         - CANCELED
         - COMPLETED

   Why:

   Uses the American English spelling "canceled" (one "l") in the enum value.

Further Reading

MongoDB Meta Documentation