# Services API

The NATS Services API provides a framework for building observable microservices with built-in discovery, health checking, and monitoring.

## Overview

NATS Services extend the request-reply pattern with:

* Automatic service discovery
* Health monitoring endpoints
* Statistics collection
* Load balancing across instances
* Standardized response schemas

## API Responses

### [Info Response](/reference/services/info-response.md)

Service metadata and configuration:

* Service name and version
* Endpoint descriptions
* Configuration details

### [Ping Response](/reference/services/ping-response.md)

Health check and liveness probe:

* Service availability status
* Response time measurement
* Instance identification

### [Stats Response](/reference/services/stats-response.md)

Operational statistics:

* Request counts and rates
* Error tracking
* Performance metrics
* Resource utilization

## Service Patterns

Services follow these conventions:

* Discovery - Services announce themselves on startup
* Monitoring - Built-in health and statistics endpoints
* Load Balancing - Automatic distribution via queue groups
* Versioning - API version management support
* Observability - Structured logging and metrics