Plural vs singular resource names in Rest API - Practice Questions

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Choosing resource names for REST API endpoints

Which of the following is the best practice for naming a REST API endpoint that returns a list of users?

A /user

B /users

C /userlist

D /getUsers

💡 Hint

Think about how REST APIs usually represent collections.

REST APIs typically use plural nouns for resource collections. So, /users is the standard way to represent a list of user resources.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Output of REST API endpoint for singular resource

Given a REST API endpoint /users/123 that returns the user with ID 123, what is the expected resource name in the URL?

A /users/123

B /user/123

C /userses/123

D /userlist/123

💡 Hint

Remember that the collection is plural, and the ID identifies a single resource inside it.

The resource name remains plural for the collection, and the ID specifies the singular resource. So /users/123 is correct.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

Identify the correct REST API endpoint for creating a new book

Which endpoint should be used to create a new book resource in a REST API?

A POST /book

B GET /books/create

C POST /books

D PUT /books/new

💡 Hint

Creating a new resource usually uses POST on the collection endpoint.

POST requests to the plural resource endpoint /books are the standard way to create new resources in REST APIs.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

Why avoid singular resource names for collections?

Why is it generally discouraged to use singular resource names like /user to represent a collection in REST APIs?

A Because singular names are harder to type

B Because singular names are reserved keywords in HTTP

C Because singular names require special headers

D Because singular names confuse clients about whether the endpoint returns one or many resources

💡 Hint

Think about clarity and expectations for API users.

Using singular names for collections can confuse clients about whether the endpoint returns a single resource or a list, reducing API clarity.

🚀 Application

expert

Determine the number of items returned by the endpoint

A REST API endpoint /products returns a JSON array of product objects. If the endpoint returns the following JSON:

[{"id":1,"name":"Pen"},{"id":2,"name":"Notebook"},{"id":3,"name":"Eraser"}]

How many product items does this endpoint return?

A 3

B 2

C 1

D 4

💡 Hint

Count the objects inside the JSON array.

The JSON array contains three objects, so the endpoint returns 3 product items.