Media type versioning in Rest API - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What is the HTTP Content-Type header for version 2 of the API?

Given the following media type versioning scheme, what is the correct Content-Type header to request version 2 of the API?

application/vnd.example.api.v2+json

A application/vnd.example.api.v2+json

B application/vnd.example.api+json;version=2

C application/json;version=2

D application/vnd.example.api.v1+json

💡 Hint

Look for the version number embedded directly in the media type string.

In media type versioning, the version is part of the media type string, like 'v2' in 'application/vnd.example.api.v2+json'.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Why use media type versioning in REST APIs?

Which of the following is the main reason to use media type versioning in REST APIs?

A To force clients to always use the latest API version automatically

B To embed the version number in the URL path for easy routing

C To allow clients to specify the API version via the Accept or Content-Type header

D To avoid using HTTP headers and rely only on query parameters

💡 Hint

Think about how clients tell the server which version they want.

Media type versioning lets clients specify the API version in HTTP headers like Accept or Content-Type, keeping URLs clean and supporting multiple versions.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

What is the server response Content-Type for a request with Accept: application/vnd.example.api.v3+json?

If a client sends the header:
Accept: application/vnd.example.api.v3+json
What should the server respond with in the Content-Type header?

A application/vnd.example.api+json

B application/json

C application/vnd.example.api.v2+json

D application/vnd.example.api.v3+json

💡 Hint

The server should match the version requested by the client.

The server responds with the same media type version requested by the client in the Accept header.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

What error occurs if the client requests an unsupported media type version?

If a client sends:
Accept: application/vnd.example.api.v99+json
and the server only supports versions 1 to 3, what HTTP status code should the server return?

A 406 Not Acceptable

B 200 OK

C 415 Unsupported Media Type

D 404 Not Found

💡 Hint

Think about how servers respond when they cannot provide the requested media type.

406 Not Acceptable means the server cannot produce a response matching the Accept header.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What is a key advantage of media type versioning over URL versioning?

Which of the following best describes a key advantage of media type versioning compared to versioning via URL paths?

A It forces clients to update URLs when switching versions

B It allows multiple API versions to coexist on the same URL with content negotiation

C It simplifies server routing by using different URLs for each version

D It removes the need for HTTP headers entirely

💡 Hint

Consider how clients and servers handle multiple versions simultaneously.

Media type versioning uses content negotiation so different versions can be served from the same URL, unlike URL versioning which requires different URLs.