Media type versioning in Rest API - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is media type versioning in REST APIs?

Media type versioning is a way to manage different versions of an API by changing the media type in the HTTP headers, usually the Accept header. It helps clients request a specific version of the API response.

beginner

How do clients specify the API version using media type versioning?

Clients specify the API version by setting the Accept header to a custom media type that includes the version number, for example: application/vnd.example.v1+json.

intermediate

Why is media type versioning considered a clean way to version APIs?

Because it keeps the URL clean and stable, and versioning is handled through headers. This separates version concerns from resource identification and supports content negotiation.

beginner

What HTTP header is primarily used for media type versioning?

The Accept header is primarily used by clients to request a specific media type version. Servers respond with the matching Content-Type header.

beginner

Give an example of a media type string for version 2 of an API returning JSON.

An example media type string is application/vnd.example.v2+json. Here, v2 indicates version 2, and +json shows the format is JSON.

Which HTTP header do clients use to specify API version in media type versioning?

A Authorization

B Accept

C Content-Type

D User-Agent

Clients use the Accept header to tell the server which media type and version they want.

What does the media type application/vnd.example.v1+json indicate?

A Version 1 of example API returning plain text

B Version 1 of example API returning XML

C Version 2 of example API returning JSON

D Version 1 of example API returning JSON

The 'v1' means version 1 and '+json' means the format is JSON.

Why might media type versioning be preferred over URL versioning?

A It requires less server configuration

B It is easier for browsers to cache

C It keeps URLs clean and uses headers for version control

D It uses query parameters instead of headers

Media type versioning keeps URLs stable and uses HTTP headers to manage versions.

Which header does the server use to tell the client the media type version of the response?

A Content-Type

B Accept

C Cache-Control

D Host

The server responds with the Content-Type header indicating the media type and version.

If a client sends Accept: application/vnd.example.v3+json, what is it requesting?

A Version 3 of the example API in JSON format

B Version 2 of the example API in JSON format

C Version 3 of the example API in XML format

D Any version of the example API

The client requests version 3 of the API with JSON format.

Explain how media type versioning works in REST APIs and why it is useful.

Think about how clients ask for specific versions using headers.

Describe the difference between media type versioning and URL versioning in REST APIs.

Consider where the version information is placed.