Image by Author

REST API Best Practices

Architecting Robust and Scalable RESTful APIs

1. Use Descriptive and Meaningful URIs

Bad Practice

/getUsers

Best Practice

/users

2. Use HTTP Methods Appropriately

GET: Retrieve a resource (e.g., GET /users/123 ->fetches user with ID 123).

POST: Create a new resource (e.g., POST /products ->creates a new product).

PUT: Update an existing resource (e.g., PUT /users/123 ->updates user 123).

DELETE: Delete a resource (e.g., DELETE /orders/456 ->deletes order 456).

Bad Practice

GET /createUser

Best Practice

POST /users

3. Resource Naming Conventions

Bad Practice

/getMyData

Best Practice

/my-data

4. Use Plural Nouns for Collections

Clear and meaningful names: Replace generic terms like “get” with specific resource names.

Plural nouns for collections: Use “users” instead of “user” for a list of users.

Consistent structure: Maintain a consistent format throughout the API.

GET /api/v1/users/{id}                // Retrieve user with ID {id}
POST /api/v1/products                 // Create a new product
PUT /api/v1/orders/{id}/payment      // Update payment status for order {id}
DELETE /api/v1/posts/{id}/comments/{commentId} // Delete comment {commentId} from post {id}

Bad Practice

/user

Best Practice

/users

5. Versioning

Bad Practice

/api/v1/getData

Best Practice

/v1/data

6. Use HTTP Status Codes Appropriately

Bad Practice

• Returning 200 OK for an error.

Best Practice

• Use 404 Not Found for resources not found.
• Use 201 Created for successful resource creation.

7. Request and Response Formats

Bad Practice

• Not specifying response format in headers.

Best Practice

• Use Accept and Content-Type headers to specify JSON or XML.

8. Use Proper Pagination

Bad Practice

/getAllUsers?page=1&pageSize=10

Best Practice

/users?offset=0&limit=10

9. Handle Errors Properly

Standardized data formats: Use common formats like JSON for consistency and ease of integration.

Descriptive error messages: Provide clear and actionable error messages with HTTP status codes (e.g., 404 Not Found, 400 Bad Request).

Pagination and filtering: Allow clients to request data in manageable chunks and filter results based on specific criteria.

{
  "status": 400,
  "error": "Validation failed",
  "message": "Product name is required and must be between 3 and 50 characters."
}

Bad Practice

• Returning generic error messages.

Best Practice

• Provide detailed error messages with status codes.

10. Use HTTP Authentication

Bad Practice

/getData?apiKey=xyz

Best Practice

Authorization: Bearer <token>

11. Security

Bad Practice

• Storing sensitive data in URL parameters.

Best Practice

• Use HTTPS for secure communication.
• Store sensitive data in the request body or headers.

12. Use Consistent Naming Conventions

Bad Practice

/getUser, /fetchUserData, /retrieve_user

Best Practice

/users

13. HATEOAS (Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State)

Bad Practice

• Not providing links to related resources.

Best Practice

• Include links in the response for easy navigation.

14. Request Payload for Updates

Bad Practice

• Sending the entire resource for a partial update.

Best Practice

• Use PATCH method or send only the fields that need updating.

15. Documentation

Bad Practice

• Lack of API documentation.

Best Practice

• Provide clear and comprehensive API documentation (e.g., Swagger, OpenAPI).

Additional Best Practices:

• Statelessness: REST APIs should be stateless, meaning each request should contain all necessary information.
• Hateoas (Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State): Provide links in responses to help clients discover other related resources.
• Testing: Thoroughly test your API with various tools and scenarios.

Useful Resources to learn more about REST API Best Practices.

1. REST API Best Practices and Standards in 2024
2. OpenAPI Specification v3.1.0
3. RESTful web API design
4. Microsoft Azure REST API Guidelines
5. Best practices for API error handling

Hope you learned something new.❤️

Connect with me via;

• GitHub
• LinkedIn
• Twitter