Header-based versioning in Rest API - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is header-based versioning in REST APIs?

Header-based versioning is a way to specify the API version by including a custom header in the HTTP request, such as Accept-Version or X-API-Version, instead of using the URL or query parameters.

beginner

Why use header-based versioning instead of URL versioning?

Header-based versioning keeps URLs clean and stable, separating version info from resource paths. It allows clients to request different versions without changing the URL, making APIs more flexible and easier to maintain.

beginner

Which HTTP header is commonly used for header-based versioning?

Common headers include Accept with media type parameters (e.g., application/vnd.example.v1+json) or custom headers like X-API-Version or Accept-Version.

intermediate

How does the server handle header-based versioning?

The server reads the version information from the request headers and routes the request to the appropriate version of the API logic or controller to respond accordingly.

intermediate

What is a potential downside of header-based versioning?

It can be harder to test and debug because the version is hidden in headers, not visible in the URL. Also, some caching systems or proxies may not handle custom headers well, affecting performance.

Which header is often used to specify API version in header-based versioning?

A Authorization

B Content-Type

C X-API-Version

D User-Agent

The X-API-Version header is commonly used to specify the API version in header-based versioning.

What is a main advantage of header-based versioning over URL versioning?

A It requires no headers

B It keeps URLs clean and stable

C It uses query parameters

D It changes the resource path

Header-based versioning keeps URLs clean and stable by moving version info to headers.

How does the server know which API version to use in header-based versioning?

A By reading the version from the request header

B By checking the URL path

C By looking at the query string

D By inspecting the request body

The server reads the version information from the request headers to route the request.

Which of these is a downside of header-based versioning?

A Version info is hidden in headers, making debugging harder

B It makes URLs longer

C It requires changing resource paths

D It cannot support multiple versions

Because version info is in headers, it can be harder to debug and test.

Which media type format is used in Accept header for versioning?

A application/xml

B text/html

C multipart/form-data

D application/vnd.example.v1+json

Custom media types like application/vnd.example.v1+json are used in the Accept header for versioning.

Explain how header-based versioning works in REST APIs and why it might be chosen over URL versioning.

Think about where the version info lives and how the server uses it.

Describe common headers used for API versioning and how a server processes them.

Focus on headers and server behavior.