Pagination and Filtering API Tutorial

This tutorial will guide you through the process of implementing pagination and filtering in your API. Pagination helps in limiting the number of records returned in a single response, while filtering allows you to retrieve only the records that match specific criteria.

Getting Started

Before you begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

A working API with endpoints that return data.
Basic knowledge of HTTP methods (GET, POST, etc.).

Pagination

Pagination is essential when dealing with large datasets. It allows clients to request a specific subset of data without overwhelming the server with a single request.

Basic Pagination

To implement basic pagination, you can use query parameters such as page and limit. Here's an example:

GET /users?page=1&limit=10

This request will return the first 10 users from the dataset.

Advanced Pagination

For more advanced pagination, you can use the next and previous links in the response. Here's an example:

{
  "data": [
    // user data
  ],
  "next": "/users?page=2",
  "previous": null
}

Filtering

Filtering allows you to retrieve only the records that match specific criteria. You can use query parameters to specify the criteria.

Basic Filtering

To implement basic filtering, you can use query parameters such as filter[key]. Here's an example:

GET /users?filter[username]=john

This request will return the user with the username "john".

Advanced Filtering

For more advanced filtering, you can use query parameters with multiple criteria. Here's an example:

GET /users?filter[username]=john&filter[age]=30

This request will return the user with the username "john" and age 30.

Conclusion

Implementing pagination and filtering in your API can greatly improve its performance and usability. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can ensure that your API provides a seamless experience for your users.

For more information on API development, check out our API Development Guide.