Plural vs singular resource names in Rest API - Hands-On Comparison

Plural vs Singular Resource Names in REST API

📖 Scenario: You are building a simple REST API for a bookstore. You need to decide how to name your API endpoints correctly using plural and singular resource names.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to create REST API endpoints with proper plural and singular resource names for collections and individual items.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a list of books as initial data

Create a variable to hold the base API path

Use plural resource name for the collection endpoint

Use singular resource name for the single item endpoint

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Naming API endpoints correctly helps developers understand and use your API easily, making your web services clear and consistent.

💼 Career

Understanding REST API resource naming is essential for backend developers, API designers, and full-stack engineers working on web applications.

1

Create the initial data list

Create a list called books with these exact entries: 'The Hobbit', '1984', 'Pride and Prejudice'.

Rest API

# Create the list of books
# Your code here

Hint

Use square brackets [] to create a list and separate items with commas.

2

Set the base API path

Create a variable called base_api_path and set it to the string "/api/v1".

Rest API

books = ['The Hobbit', '1984', 'Pride and Prejudice']
# Create the base API path variable
# Your code here

Hint

Use double quotes "" to create the string.

3

Create plural and singular resource endpoints

Create two variables: books_endpoint by joining base_api_path and "/books", and book_endpoint by joining base_api_path and "/book".

Rest API

books = ['The Hobbit', '1984', 'Pride and Prejudice']
base_api_path = "/api/v1"
# Create books_endpoint and book_endpoint variables
# Your code here

Hint

Use the plus sign + to join strings.

4

Print the API endpoints

Print the books_endpoint and book_endpoint variables each on a new line.

Rest API

books = ['The Hobbit', '1984', 'Pride and Prejudice']
base_api_path = "/api/v1"
books_endpoint = base_api_path + "/books"
book_endpoint = base_api_path + "/book"
# Print the endpoints
# Your code here

Hint

Use two print() statements, one for each variable.

Practice

1. Which naming style is recommended for an API endpoint that returns a list of users?
/user or /users?

easy

A. /users because it is singular and more precise.

B. /user because it is shorter and simpler.

C. /user because it is singular and more precise.

D. /users because it represents multiple users.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand resource naming for collections

   API endpoints returning multiple items should use plural names to clearly indicate a list.

2. Step 2: Apply naming to the example

   Since the endpoint returns multiple users, /users is the correct plural form.

3. Final Answer:

   /users because it represents multiple users. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Plural for lists = /users [OK]

Hint: Use plural names for endpoints returning lists [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using singular for list endpoints
• Confusing singular and plural forms
• Choosing shorter names over clarity

2. Which of the following is the correct endpoint to access a single product by its ID?

easy

A. /products/123

B. /product/123

C. /products

D. /product

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify singular vs plural for single item access

   When accessing a single item by ID, use the plural form of the resource name followed by the ID.

2. Step 2: Match the correct endpoint format

   The endpoint /products/123 uses plural products and includes the ID, which is the common RESTful convention.

3. Final Answer:

   /products/123 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Single item access = plural + ID [OK]

Hint: Use plural resource name when accessing one item by ID [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using singular resource name for single item
• Omitting the ID when accessing a single item
• Mixing singular/plural inconsistently

3. Given the following API endpoints, which one correctly retrieves a list of orders?

GET /order
GET /orders
GET /order/456
GET /orders/456

medium

A. GET /order

B. GET /orders/456

C. GET /orders

D. GET /order/456

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify endpoints returning lists

   Endpoints returning lists should use plural resource names without an ID.

2. Step 2: Analyze each option

   GET /orders uses plural and no ID, so it returns the list of orders. Others either use singular or include an ID, indicating single item access.

3. Final Answer:

   GET /orders -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   List retrieval = plural resource without ID [OK]

Hint: Plural + no ID means list retrieval [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing singular endpoint for list
• Confusing ID presence with list retrieval
• Ignoring plural vs singular rules

4. You have an API endpoint defined as GET /users/ to get a list of users and GET /user/{id} to get a single user. A developer mistakenly uses GET /user/ to get all users. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The endpoint /user/ is incorrect for list retrieval and may cause a 404 error.

B. The endpoint /user/ will return a list of users anyway.

C. The endpoint /user/ will return a single user without ID.

D. The endpoint /user/ will automatically redirect to /users/.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand endpoint naming conventions

   List retrieval requires plural resource name, so /users/ is correct for all users.

2. Step 2: Analyze the incorrect usage

   /user/ is singular and without an ID, so it likely does not exist or returns an error like 404.

3. Final Answer:

   The endpoint /user/ is incorrect for list retrieval and may cause a 404 error. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Singular without ID ≠ list endpoint [OK]

Hint: Singular without ID usually causes errors for list requests [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using singular endpoint for list retrieval
• Assuming singular endpoint returns list
• Expecting automatic redirects between endpoints

5. You are designing an API for a library system. Which of the following endpoint designs correctly follows the plural vs singular resource naming best practices for retrieving a single book and all books?

hard

A. GET /book for all books and GET /books/{id} for a single book

B. GET /books for all books and GET /book/{id} for a single book

C. GET /books/{id} for all books and GET /book for a single book

D. GET /book/{id} for all books and GET /books for a single book

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall naming rules for collections and single items

   Use plural resource names for collections (all books) and singular for single items by ID.

2. Step 2: Match options to rules

   GET /books correctly retrieves all books (plural). GET /book/{id} correctly retrieves a single book (singular with ID).

3. Final Answer:

   GET /books for all books and GET /book/{id} for a single book -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Plural for list, singular + ID for single [OK]

Hint: Plural for lists, singular + ID for single items [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping singular and plural for list vs single
• Using singular without ID for list
• Using plural with ID for single item