API

A comprehensive guide to designing and building robust, scalable APIs.

Overview

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are the backbone of modern software systems, enabling communication between different services and applications.

Key Principles

RESTful Design

• Use appropriate HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH)
• Resource-based URLs
• Stateless communication
• Proper status codes

GraphQL

• Query exactly what you need
• Single endpoint
• Strong typing
• Efficient data fetching

Best Practices

Versioning

/api/v1/users
/api/v2/users

Authentication & Authorization

• JWT tokens
• OAuth 2.0
• API keys
• Rate limiting

Error Handling

{
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Invalid email format",
    "details": []
  }
}

Documentation

Always provide clear, comprehensive API documentation using tools like:

• OpenAPI/Swagger
• Postman Collections
• API Blueprint