Query parameter versioning in Rest API - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is query parameter versioning in REST APIs?

Query parameter versioning is a way to specify the API version by adding a version number as a parameter in the URL query string, for example: /api/resource?version=1.

beginner

Why use query parameter versioning?

It allows clients to request a specific API version without changing the URL path. This keeps the base URL stable and makes versioning flexible.

beginner

How does the server know which version to serve when using query parameter versioning?

The server reads the version number from the query parameter (like ?version=2) and returns the response formatted for that version.

beginner

Give an example of a URL using query parameter versioning.

An example URL is https://api.example.com/users?version=1, where version=1 tells the server to use version 1 of the API.

intermediate

What is a potential downside of query parameter versioning?

One downside is that caching systems might treat URLs with different query parameters as separate resources, which can complicate caching strategies.

What does query parameter versioning add to the API request URL?

A A version number in the request header

B A version number in the URL path

C A version number in the query string

D A version number in the request body

Query parameter versioning uses the query string to specify the API version, like ?version=1.

Which of these URLs uses query parameter versioning?

A /api/users?version=2

B /api/v2/users

C /api/users

D /api/users/version/2

The version number is passed as a query parameter in option A.

What is a benefit of query parameter versioning?

A Keeps the base URL unchanged

B Requires changing the URL path

C Does not allow versioning

D Only works with POST requests

Query parameter versioning keeps the base URL stable and adds version info in the query string.

How does the server identify the API version in query parameter versioning?

A By reading the request header

B By reading the request body

C By reading the URL path segment

D By reading the query parameter value

The server looks at the query parameter, such as ?version=1, to determine the version.

What is a possible drawback of query parameter versioning?

A It is not supported by REST APIs

B Caching can be less efficient

C It cannot support multiple versions

D It requires changing the URL path

Different query parameters can cause caching systems to treat requests as different resources, complicating caching.

Explain how query parameter versioning works in REST APIs and why it might be used.

Think about how the version is passed and how the server uses it.

Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of using query parameter versioning.

Consider URL stability and caching behavior.