RESTful APIs are a fundamental part of modern web development, enabling seamless communication between clients and servers. Below is a concise overview of key concepts and practices.

Core Principles 📘

  • Stateless Communication: Each request from a client must contain all the information the server needs to fulfill it.
  • Resource-Based: APIs operate on resources (e.g., /users, /products) using standard HTTP methods.
  • Uniform Interface: Consistent request/response formats for scalability and simplicity.

HTTP Methods ⚙️

Method Purpose Example
GET Retrieve data GET /api/data
POST Create new data POST /api/create
PUT Update existing data PUT /api/update/123
DELETE Remove data DELETE /api/delete/123

Best Practices ✅

  • Use JSON for data exchange (e.g., application/json).
  • Implement HTTP status codes (e.g., 200, 404, 500) for clear responses.
  • Design for scalability and cacheability using proper headers.

Example Request & Response 📡

GET /api/products/456 HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Accept: application/json

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": 456,
  "name": "Example Product",
  "price": 99.99
}

For deeper insights, check our RESTful API Introduction guide.

RESTful_API_Overview
HTTP_Methods
API_Request_Response