Hierarchical resource paths in Rest API - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to define a hierarchical REST API path for accessing a user's posts.

Rest API

GET /users/[1]/posts

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A{userId}

B:userId

CuserId

D<userId>

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using curly braces instead of colon notation for path parameters.

Omitting the colon and just writing the parameter name.

The correct syntax for path parameters in REST APIs often uses a colon before the parameter name, like :userId.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to define a nested resource path for accessing a specific comment on a post.

Rest API

GET /posts/[1]/comments/[2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A:postId

B{postId}

C:commentId

D{commentId}

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the comment ID in place of the post ID in the first parameter.

Using curly braces instead of colon notation.

The first parameter in the path should be :postId to specify the post and the second :commentId for the comment.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the hierarchical path to correctly access a user's specific order.

Rest API

GET /users/[1]/orders/[2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A{orderId}

B:orderId

C{userId}

D:userId

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the order ID as the first parameter.

Using curly braces instead of colon notation.

The first parameter should be :userId to specify the user in the path and the second :orderId for the order.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to define a REST API path for accessing a specific chapter of a book.

Rest API

GET /books/[1]/chapters/[2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A:bookId

B:chapterId

C{chapterId}

D{bookId}

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up the order of parameters.

Using curly braces instead of colon notation.

The path parameters should be :bookId for the book and :chapterId for the chapter.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to define a REST API path for accessing a specific episode of a season of a TV show.

Rest API

GET /shows/[1]/seasons/[2]/episodes/[3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A:showId

B:seasonId

C:episodeId

D{episodeId}

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using curly braces for parameters.

Mixing the order of parameters.

The path parameters should be :showId, :seasonId, and :episodeId in that order.

Practice

1. What does a hierarchical resource path in a REST API represent?

easy

A. A nested structure showing relationships between resources

B. A random list of unrelated resources

C. A single resource without any relation

D. A method to encrypt API data

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand resource organization

   Hierarchical paths show how resources are connected, like folders inside folders.

2. Step 2: Identify the purpose of hierarchical paths

   They help represent parent-child relationships clearly in the API URL.

3. Final Answer:

   A nested structure showing relationships between resources -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Hierarchical paths = nested resource relationships [OK]

Hint: Think of folders inside folders to understand hierarchy [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing hierarchy with unrelated resource lists
• Ignoring the relationship between resources
• Thinking it's about data encryption

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax for a hierarchical resource path to access comments of a post with ID 10?

easy

A. /posts/10/comments

B. /comments/posts/10

C. /posts/comments/10

D. /10/posts/comments

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the parent resource and its ID

   The parent resource is 'posts' with ID 10, so it comes first in the path.

2. Step 2: Append the child resource

   Comments belong to the post, so '/comments' follows '/posts/10'.

3. Final Answer:

   /posts/10/comments -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Parent resource + ID + child resource = /posts/10/comments [OK]

Hint: Parent resource and ID come before child resource [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Placing child resource before parent
• Swapping resource names and IDs
• Using incorrect order of segments

3. Given the REST API path /users/5/orders/12/items, what resource does this path represent?

medium

A. All orders of all users

B. Order 12 of user 5

C. User 5's profile information

D. Items in order 12 of user 5

Solution

1. Step 1: Break down the path segments

   /users/5 means user with ID 5, /orders/12 means order with ID 12 for that user, and /items means the items in that order.

2. Step 2: Understand the full resource

   The path points to the items inside order 12 which belongs to user 5.

3. Final Answer:

   Items in order 12 of user 5 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Path shows nested resources = items in order 12 of user 5 [OK]

Hint: Read path left to right as parent to child resources [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring the nested order and item relationship
• Confusing order with user profile
• Assuming it lists all users or orders

4. Identify the error in this hierarchical REST API path: /projects//tasks/7

medium

A. Missing task ID before 7

B. Double slash between 'projects' and 'tasks' is invalid

C. Resource names should be capitalized

D. The path should end with a slash

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the path syntax

   The path has two slashes '//' between 'projects' and 'tasks', which is not valid in REST API paths.

2. Step 2: Understand correct path format

   Only one slash should separate resource names and IDs to maintain proper hierarchy.

3. Final Answer:

   Double slash between 'projects' and 'tasks' is invalid -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Only single slashes separate path segments [OK]

Hint: Check for extra or missing slashes in paths [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring double slashes as harmless
• Thinking resource names must be capitalized
• Believing trailing slash is mandatory

5. You want to design a REST API path to access all reviews for a specific product variant. The product ID is 20 and the variant ID is 5. Which path correctly represents this hierarchical resource?

hard

A. /products/reviews/20/variants/5

B. /reviews/products/20/variants/5

C. /products/20/variants/5/reviews

D. /variants/5/products/20/reviews

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the resource hierarchy

   Reviews belong to a variant, which belongs to a product. So the path should start with product ID, then variant ID, then reviews.

2. Step 2: Construct the path in correct order

   The correct order is /products/20/variants/5/reviews to show this nested relationship clearly.

3. Final Answer:

   /products/20/variants/5/reviews -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Parent to child order: product -> variant -> reviews [OK]

Hint: Order path segments from general to specific resource [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Placing reviews before products or variants
• Mixing order of product and variant IDs
• Using unrelated resource order