API Design for Front End

1. Introduction

In modern web applications, the front end and back end interact through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). A well-designed API can significantly enhance the usability and maintainability of front-end applications.

2. Key Concepts

3. Design Principles

• Use meaningful resource names
• Implement versioning
• Ensure statelessness
• Follow HTTP status codes
• Provide comprehensive documentation

4. Best Practices

1. Design APIs with the consumer in mind.
2. Use JSON as the data interchange format.
3. Limit the amount of data returned by default.
4. Implement proper error handling and response codes.
5. Use authentication and authorization to protect sensitive data.

5. Code Examples

Basic REST API with Express.js

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

let users = [{ id: 1, name: 'John Doe' }];

app.get('/users', (req, res) => {
    res.status(200).json(users);
});

app.post('/users', (req, res) => {
    const user = { id: users.length + 1, name: req.body.name };
    users.push(user);
    res.status(201).json(user);
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'));
                

6. FAQ