API versioning strategies in Node.js - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is API versioning and why is it important?

API versioning is a way to manage changes in an API over time. It helps keep old clients working while allowing new features or fixes in newer versions.

beginner

Name three common API versioning strategies.

1. URI versioning (e.g., /v1/resource)<br>2. Query parameter versioning (e.g., /resource?version=1)<br>3. Header versioning (using custom headers like 'Accept-Version')

beginner

How does URI versioning work in an API?

URI versioning adds the version number directly in the URL path, like /api/v1/users. This makes it clear and easy to route requests to the right version.

intermediate

What is a benefit of using header versioning over URI versioning?

Header versioning keeps URLs clean and lets clients specify the version in request headers, which can be more flexible and hides version details from the URL.

intermediate

What is a drawback of query parameter versioning?

Query parameter versioning can be less visible and sometimes caching systems might ignore query parameters, causing unexpected behavior.

Which API versioning strategy places the version number in the URL path?

A Query parameter versioning

B Header versioning

C URI versioning

D Content negotiation

URI versioning adds the version directly in the URL path, like /v1/resource.

What header might be used for header-based API versioning?

A Accept-Version

B Content-Type

C Authorization

D User-Agent

Custom headers like 'Accept-Version' are used to specify API version in header versioning.

Which versioning strategy can cause issues with caching if not handled properly?

A URI versioning

B Query parameter versioning

C Header versioning

D No versioning

Query parameters might be ignored by some caches, causing stale or wrong responses.

Why is API versioning important?

A To avoid documentation

B To break all old clients

C To make URLs longer

D To allow changes without breaking existing clients

Versioning lets you improve your API while keeping old clients working.

Which versioning method keeps URLs clean and hides version info from the URL?

A Header versioning

B Query parameter versioning

C URI versioning

D No versioning

Header versioning uses request headers to specify version, keeping URLs clean.

Explain three common API versioning strategies and when you might use each.

Think about how the version appears in the request and what clients see.

Describe why API versioning is necessary and what problems it solves.

Imagine you change your app but some users still use the old one.