RESTful API Design
What is REST?
- ā¢REpresentational State Transfer
- ā¢Architectural style for distributed systems
- ā¢Uses HTTP methods explicitly
- ā¢Stateless communication
- ā¢Resource-based URLs
REST Principles
- 1.Client-Server Architecture
- ā¢Separation of concerns
- 2.Statelessness
- ā¢No client context stored on server
- 3.Cacheability
- ā¢Responses must define themselves as cacheable or non-cacheable
- 4.Layered System
- ā¢Client cannot tell if connected directly to end server
- 5.Uniform Interface
- ā¢Resources identified in requests
- ā¢Resource manipulation through representations
- ā¢Self-descriptive messages
- ā¢Hypermedia as the engine of application state (HATEOAS)
Resource Naming Best Practices
- ā¢Use nouns for resources, not verbs
- ā¢Use plural nouns for collections
- ā¢Use hierarchical relationships for related resources
Resource Operations with HTTP Methods
| HTTP Method | CRUD Operation | Collection (/users) | Item (/users/123) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | Read | List all users | Get user 123 |
| POST | Create | Create new user | N/A |
| PUT | Update | Replace all users | Replace user 123 |
| PATCH | Update | Partial update | Partial update |
| DELETE | Delete | Delete all users | Delete user 123 |
REST API Responses
- ā¢Use appropriate HTTP status codes
- ā¢Return consistent JSON structure
- ā¢Include metadata about the response
- ā¢Use pagination for large collections
- ā¢Provide informative error messages
Example Express.js Implementation
Recommended Image
A diagram showing RESTful API architecture with HTTP methods mapped to CRUD
operations and resources.
Further Reading
- ā¢[REST API Tutorial](https://restfulapi.net/)
- ā¢[RESTful API Design: Best Practices in a Nutshell](https://medium.com/better-programming/restful-api-design-best-practices-in-a-nutshell-5059db85729)
- ā¢[RESTful API Design with Node.js](https://hackernoon.com/restful-api-design-with-node-js-26ccf66eab09)
- ā¢[Best Practices for Designing a Pragmatic RESTful API](https://www.vinaysahni.com/best-practices-for-a-pragmatic-restful-api)