13 Best Practices for RESTful API Design

This article will introduce 13 best practices for building an efficient and reliable RESTful API to help you improve your API design.

1. Use HTTP methods correctly

GET is used to obtain data, POST is used to send data, PUT is used to replace resources, PATCH is used to partially update resources, and DELETE is used to delete resources. Mixed HTTP methods will cause confusion to API users and must follow the specifications.

2. Naming Specifications

Use consistent naming specifications, such as using resource names as prefixes for endpoints and describing operations with HTTP methods. For example: POST /authors (create the author), GET /authors/3 (get the author with ID 3), GET /authors/3/books (get all books of the author with ID 3), DELETE /authors/3/books/5 (delete the author with ID 3 as the ID 3 as 5 books). This structured approach is easy to understand and use.

3. Use the plural form of resources

Resource names should always use plural forms, such as /authors, not /author. This helps to clearly indicate whether the endpoint returns multiple resources or a single resource.

4. Use the status code correctly

Status code is used to inform the client of the result of the request. For example, 200 (OK) means success, 400 (Bad Request) means client error, 404 (Not Found) means resource does not exist, and 500 (Internal Server Error) means internal server error. Choosing the right HTTP status code is crucial.

5. Follow the upper and lower case specifications

Usually, the RESTful API uses JSON data, and it is recommended to use camelCase. However, you need to choose the appropriate naming specification based on the programming language.

6. Handle search, paging, filtering and sorting

These operations should be done by querying parameters, rather than creating separate endpoints. For example, api.com/authors?sort=name_asc (sorted by ascending order), api.com/authors?search=Michiel (search for the author named Michiel).

7. API version control

Add a version number for the API, such as api.com/v1/authors/3/books, to facilitate managing different versions of the API and notifying users of significant changes.

8. Send metadata via HTTP header

Send additional information using HTTP headers, for example Authorization The header is used for authentication.

9. Rate Limit

Implement rate limits to control the number of requests per unit time of client to avoid server overload and API abuse. Commonly used heads include X-Rate-Limit-Limit, X-Rate-Limit-Remaining and X-Rate-Limit-Reset.

10. Meaningful Error Handling

When an error occurs, meaningful error information is returned, including status code, error code and description information, for easy debugging by developers.

11. Select the right API framework

Select frameworks that support RESTful API best practices, such as Express.js for Node.js or Falcon for Python.

12. Write API Documentation

Even if the API follows all best practices, it is necessary to write clear documentation for other developers to understand and use.

13. Keep it simple

Avoid over-designing and keep resources simple and easy to understand. Clearly define resources, their attributes and relationships to avoid ambiguity.

FAQ (FAQ)

This article has answered the frequently asked questions in detail, including the core principles of RESTful API, scalability, the role of HTTP methods, security, version control, performance optimization, status code, error handling, HATEOAS and testing methods.

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