RESTful API Case Studies

1. Introduction

RESTful APIs are widely used in microservices architecture due to their simplicity and scalability. This lesson explores real-world case studies demonstrating the design and implementation of RESTful APIs.

2. Case Study 1: E-commerce API

Overview

The E-commerce API enables clients to manage products, customers, orders, and payments.

Key Endpoints

GET /products - Retrieve a list of products
POST /orders - Create a new order
GET /customers/{id} - Fetch customer details

Example Code


app.get('/products', (req, res) => {
    // Fetch products from database
    res.json(products);
});

3. Case Study 2: Social Media API

Overview

This API allows users to interact with posts, comments, and likes.

Key Endpoints

GET /posts - Retrieve all posts
POST /comments - Add a comment to a post
POST /likes - Like a specific post

Example Code


app.post('/comments', (req, res) => {
    const comment = req.body;
    // Save comment to database
    res.status(201).json(comment);
});

4. Best Practices

Always use versioning for your APIs to ensure backward compatibility.

Use proper HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
Implement meaningful status codes (200, 404, 500).
Use pagination for large datasets.
Secure APIs with authentication and authorization.
Document your API using OpenAPI specifications.

5. FAQ

What is a RESTful API?

A RESTful API adheres to the principles of Representational State Transfer (REST) to provide a stateless communication protocol over HTTP.

Why choose REST over SOAP?

REST is generally simpler, uses standard HTTP methods, and is more flexible compared to SOAP, which relies on XML and has stricter standards.