REST API Design Tutorial

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications. It relies on a stateless, client-server communication protocol, typically using HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.

Core Principles of REST API

• Stateless: Each request from the client must contain all the information the server needs to fulfill it.
• Client-Server Architecture: Separation of concerns between client and server components.
• Uniform Interface: Consistent resource identification and manipulation via standard HTTP verbs.
• Resource-Oriented: Data is treated as resources, accessed via URLs (e.g., /users, /products).
• Representation: Resources can be represented in various formats (JSON, XML, HTML).

💡 Tip: Always use HTTP status codes correctly (e.g., 200 for success, 404 for not found).

Best Practices

• Use nouns for endpoints, not verbs (e.g., /users instead of /get_users).
• Version your API (e.g., /api/v1/users).
• Design for scalability and caching (e.g., use GET for retrieving data).
• Document your API thoroughly using tools like Swagger.

Tools & Resources

• Postman for testing APIs.
• OpenAPI Specification for defining API contracts.
• API Security Tips to protect your endpoints.

Explore more about [HTTP methods](/en/tutorials/http_methods) and their roles in REST architecture.