Long-running operations (async responses) in Rest API - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to start an asynchronous operation by sending a POST request.

Rest API

response = requests.post('[1]/start-operation')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Afile://api.example.com

Bftp://api.example.com

Csmtp://api.example.com

Dhttp://api.example.com

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using unsupported URL schemes like ftp or file.

Forgetting to include the protocol in the URL.

The correct URL scheme for HTTP REST APIs is http://. FTP, file, and SMTP are not used for REST API calls.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to check if the operation status is 'completed'.

Rest API

if status == '[1]':

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Acompleted

Bstarted

Cfailed

Dpending

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Checking for 'pending' or 'started' which mean the operation is not done.

Using incorrect status strings.

The operation is finished when the status is completed. Other statuses mean it is still running or failed.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to correctly poll the operation status until it is completed.

Rest API

while status != '[1]':
    time.sleep(5)
    status = get_status(operation_id)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aerror

Bpending

Ccompleted

Dcancelled

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'pending' or 'error' as the stop condition.

Not updating the status inside the loop.

The loop should continue until the status is completed. Using any other status will cause an infinite loop or wrong behavior.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a dictionary comprehension that maps operation IDs to their statuses only if the status is 'completed'.

Rest API

completed_ops = {op_id: [1] for op_id, [2] in operations.items() if status == 'completed'}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Astatus

Cresult

Dstate

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect variable names like 'result' or 'state'.

Not matching the variable names in the comprehension.

The dictionary comprehension uses status as the value and iterates over op_id, status pairs.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary comprehension that maps uppercase operation IDs to their results only if the result is greater than 0.

Rest API

filtered_results = { [1]: [2] for op_id, [3] in results.items() if [2] > 0 }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aop_id.upper()

Bresult

Dop_id

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the original operation ID instead of uppercase.

Mixing variable names in unpacking and value.

The comprehension uses op_id.upper() as the key, result as the value, and unpacks op_id, result from the dictionary.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using long-running operations with async responses in REST APIs?

easy

A. To make the server process all requests instantly.

B. To let clients start a task and check its progress later without waiting.

C. To block the client until the task finishes.

D. To avoid using URLs for task status.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand client-server interaction in async operations

   Clients start a task and receive a URL to check progress later, avoiding waiting.

2. Step 2: Identify the benefit of async responses

   This approach keeps apps responsive and user-friendly by not blocking clients.

3. Final Answer:

   To let clients start a task and check its progress later without waiting. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Async responses = clients check progress later [OK]

Hint: Async means start task, check later URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking server processes all requests instantly
• Assuming client waits for task completion
• Ignoring the use of status URLs

2. Which HTTP status code is typically returned immediately by a REST API to indicate a long-running operation has started asynchronously?

easy

A. 200 OK

B. 404 Not Found

C. 202 Accepted

D. 500 Internal Server Error

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall HTTP status codes for async start

   202 Accepted means the request is accepted but processing is not complete yet.

2. Step 2: Compare with other codes

   200 OK means completed, 404 means missing resource, 500 means server error.

3. Final Answer:

   202 Accepted -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Async start = 202 Accepted [OK]

Hint: 202 means accepted but not done yet [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 200 OK for async start
• Confusing 404 with async status
• Assuming 500 means task started

3. Given this REST API response after starting a long-running task:

{"status": "accepted", "status_url": "/tasks/123/status"}

What should the client do next to get the task result?

medium

A. Send a DELETE request to /tasks/123/status to cancel the task.

B. Send a POST request to /tasks/123/status to get the result.

C. Wait for the server to push the result automatically.

D. Send a GET request to /tasks/123/status to check progress.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the purpose of status_url

   The status_url is provided for the client to check the task progress or result.

2. Step 2: Determine correct HTTP method to check status

   GET requests are used to retrieve information, so client should GET the status URL.

3. Final Answer:

   Send a GET request to /tasks/123/status to check progress. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Check progress = GET status URL [OK]

Hint: Use GET on status URL to check progress [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using POST instead of GET to check status
• Expecting server to push result without polling
• Using DELETE to check or cancel unintentionally

4. A developer wrote this code to start a long-running task and check its status:

response = start_task()
if response.status_code == 202:
    status_url = response.json()["status_url"]
    result = requests.post(status_url)
    print(result.json())

What is the error in this code?

medium

A. Using POST instead of GET to check the status URL.

B. Not checking if status_url exists in the response.

C. Not handling the case when status_code is not 202.

D. Printing result without parsing JSON.

Solution

1. Step 1: Review HTTP method used to check status

   The code uses POST to check status, but status URLs require GET requests.

2. Step 2: Confirm other parts of code

   Checking status_url existence and status_code handling are good practices but not the main error here.

3. Final Answer:

   Using POST instead of GET to check the status URL. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Status check = GET, not POST [OK]

Hint: Status check always uses GET method [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using POST instead of GET for status check
• Ignoring missing status_url key
• Not handling unexpected status codes

5. You want to design a REST API endpoint for a long-running image processing task. Which approach best follows async response principles?

hard

A. Client POSTs image, server returns 202 Accepted with a status URL; client polls status URL until done.

B. Client POSTs image, server processes image immediately and returns 200 OK with result.

C. Client POSTs image, server returns 404 Not Found if task is slow.

D. Client POSTs image, server holds connection open until processing finishes.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand async response design

   Server accepts task, returns 202 with status URL for client to poll progress.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Immediate processing (200 OK) blocks client; 404 is wrong status; holding connection open blocks client.

3. Final Answer:

   Client POSTs image, server returns 202 Accepted with a status URL; client polls status URL until done. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Async design = 202 + status URL + polling [OK]

Hint: Async = 202 + status URL + client polls [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Returning 200 OK immediately for slow tasks
• Using 404 for slow processing
• Keeping connection open until done