REST API best practices in HLD - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does REST stand for and what is its main purpose?

REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It is a design style for building scalable web services that use standard HTTP methods to perform operations on resources.

beginner

Why should REST APIs use nouns instead of verbs in their endpoint URLs?

REST APIs use nouns to represent resources because HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) already define the action. This keeps URLs simple and consistent, like '/users' instead of '/getUsers'.

intermediate

What HTTP status code should be returned after a successful resource creation?

The HTTP status code 201 Created should be returned after successfully creating a resource. It indicates the request was successful and a new resource was created.

intermediate

Explain the importance of versioning in REST APIs.

Versioning helps manage changes in the API without breaking existing clients. It allows developers to introduce new features or fix bugs while supporting older versions.

intermediate

What is the benefit of using pagination in REST API responses?

Pagination limits the amount of data returned in a single response, improving performance and reducing bandwidth. It helps clients handle large datasets efficiently.

Which HTTP method is typically used to update an existing resource in a REST API?

A GET

B DELETE

C POST

D PUT

PUT is used to update an existing resource or create it if it does not exist.

What should a REST API return when a requested resource is not found?

A 404 Not Found

B 403 Forbidden

C 500 Internal Server Error

D 200 OK

404 Not Found indicates the requested resource does not exist.

Which of the following is a good practice for REST API URL design?

A /updateUser

B /getUserDetails

C /users/123

D /deleteUser

REST APIs use nouns and resource identifiers like '/users/123' instead of verbs.

Why is it important to use consistent HTTP status codes in REST APIs?

A To make debugging harder

B To clearly communicate the result of a request

C To confuse clients

D To avoid using HTTP methods

Consistent status codes help clients understand the outcome of their requests.

What is the main reason to include versioning in REST API endpoints?

A To support multiple API versions without breaking clients

B To slow down the API

C To make URLs longer

D To hide the API structure

Versioning allows evolving the API while keeping old versions functional.

Describe the key principles of REST API design and why they matter.

Think about how REST uses web standards to keep APIs simple and reliable.

Explain how to handle errors in a REST API and why proper error handling is important.

Consider how clients react when something goes wrong.