Reviewing REST API Design with HTTP

Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style that uses HTTP requests to access and use data. RESTful APIs enable interaction with web services in a stateless manner.

REST APIs utilize standard HTTP methods to perform CRUD operations:

• GET: Retrieve data from the server.
• POST: Send data to the server to create a resource.
• PUT: Update an existing resource or create it if it does not exist.
• DELETE: Remove a resource from the server.

Example of a simple REST API endpoint:

GET /api/users

Status codes are returned by the server to indicate the result of the HTTP request. Here are key codes used in REST APIs:

• 200 OK - Request succeeded.
• 201 Created - Resource created successfully.
• 204 No Content - Request succeeded but no content to return.
• 400 Bad Request - Invalid request format.
• 401 Unauthorized - Authentication required.
• 404 Not Found - Resource not found.
• 500 Internal Server Error - A generic error message when the server encounters an unexpected condition.

To design effective REST APIs, consider the following best practices:

• Use nouns for resource names (e.g., /users, /orders).
• Utilize plural naming conventions for collections (e.g., /users instead of /user).
• Version your API (e.g., /api/v1/users).
• Document your API endpoints, methods, and expected responses.
• Ensure statelessness to improve scalability.