RESTful API Design

RESTful API Design

Build HTTP-native APIs that are intuitive, scalable, and maintainable

Overview

REST (Representational State Transfer) is the dominant paradigm for web APIs because it aligns with HTTP's design philosophy. Rather than inventing custom protocols, REST APIs use HTTP semantics—verbs, status codes, headers—to create predictable, cacheable, and composable systems.

What Makes an API RESTful

• Resources as first-class citizens: URLs represent nouns (users, orders, posts), not verbs
• HTTP methods as actions: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH communicate intent clearly
• Status codes with meaning: 200, 201, 400, 401, 404, 409 each have semantic purpose
• Representations and content negotiation: JSON, XML, or other formats based on Accept headers
• Hypermedia as the engine of application state: Links guide clients through API workflows
• Stateless communication: Each request contains all necessary context
• Cacheable responses: Proper cache headers reduce server load and improve performance

Design Decisions Ahead

Building a RESTful API requires decisions about:

• How to structure resource URIs for clarity and scalability
• Which HTTP methods and status codes to use for different operations
• How to handle filtering, sorting, and pagination at scale
• Error representation formats that guide API consumers
• Concurrency control mechanisms like ETags
• How to evolve the API without breaking clients

📄️ Resources, Representations, and HATEOAS

Design REST resources with rich representations and hypermedia linking

📄️ URI Design, HTTP Methods, and Status Codes

Master REST fundamentals: clear URIs, appropriate methods, and meaningful status codes

📄️ Filtering, Sorting, and Pagination

Scale APIs to handle large datasets with efficient query parameters

📄️ Error Formats and Problem Details

Design consistent, actionable error responses that guide API consumers

📄️ Concurrency Control and ETags

Prevent lost updates in concurrent environments with optimistic locking via ETags