Example requests and responses in Rest API

Introduction

Example requests and responses show how to talk to a web service and what answers to expect. They help you understand how to use the service step-by-step.

You want to learn how to get data from a website using an API.

You need to send information to a server and see what it sends back.

You want to test if your API calls are working correctly.

You are building a program that talks to a web service and need examples.

You want to understand the format of data sent and received.

Syntax

Rest API

GET /resource HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com

Response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

{"key": "value"}

The request line shows the method (GET) and the resource path (/resource).

The response includes a status code (200 OK) and data in JSON format.

Examples

This example requests a list of users and gets back a JSON array with user details.

Rest API

GET /users HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com

Response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

[{"id":1,"name":"Alice"},{"id":2,"name":"Bob"}]

This example sends login details and receives a token to use for future requests.

Rest API

POST /login HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{"username":"user1","password":"pass123"}

Response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

{"token":"abc123xyz"}

This example deletes an item with ID 5 and gets a response with no content, meaning success.

Rest API

DELETE /items/5 HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com

Response:
HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Sample Program

This program sends a GET request to get users, then prints each user's id and name if successful.

Rest API

import requests

# Example: Get user data from API
response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/users')

if response.status_code == 200:
    users = response.json()
    for user in users:
        print(f"User {user['id']}: {user['name']}")
else:
    print(f"Failed to get users: {response.status_code}")

Important Notes

Always check the response status code to know if the request worked.

Requests and responses usually use JSON format for easy reading and writing.

Headers like Content-Type tell the server what kind of data you send or expect.

Summary

Example requests show how to ask a web service for data or actions.

Example responses show what the server sends back after your request.

Using examples helps you learn and test APIs quickly and clearly.

Practice

1.

What is the main purpose of an example request in a REST API?

GET /users/123

easy

A. To list all possible API endpoints

B. To display the server's internal code

C. To describe the server's hardware

D. To show how to ask the server for specific data or action

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what a request does

   A request is how a client asks a server for data or to perform an action.

2. Step 2: Identify the role of example requests

   Example requests show exactly how to ask the server, like which URL and method to use.

3. Final Answer:

   To show how to ask the server for specific data or action -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Example request = How to ask server [OK]

Hint: Example requests show how to ask the server clearly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing requests with server code
• Thinking examples list all endpoints
• Mixing requests with server hardware info

2.

Which of the following is the correct syntax for a simple GET request example in REST API?

easy

A. GET /api/items HTTP/1.1\nHost: example.com

B. POST /api/items HTTP/1.1\nHost: example.com

C. FETCH /api/items HTTP/1.1\nHost: example.com

D. SEND /api/items HTTP/1.1\nHost: example.com

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the HTTP method for retrieving data

   GET is the standard method to request data from a server.

2. Step 2: Check the syntax of the request line

   The correct format is "GET /path HTTP/1.1" followed by headers like Host.

3. Final Answer:

   GET /api/items HTTP/1.1\nHost: example.com -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   GET method + correct syntax = GET /api/items HTTP/1.1\nHost: example.com [OK]

Hint: GET requests retrieve data; syntax starts with GET /path HTTP/1.1 [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using POST instead of GET for data retrieval
• Using non-standard methods like FETCH or SEND
• Incorrect request line format

3.

Given this example response from a REST API:

{
  "id": 101,
  "name": "Alice",
  "active": true
}

What is the value of the active field?

medium

A. false

B. true

C. "true" (string)

D. null

Solution

1. Step 1: Read the JSON response carefully

   The response shows "active": true without quotes, meaning a boolean true value.

2. Step 2: Understand JSON data types

   Boolean true is a logical value, not a string or null.

3. Final Answer:

   true -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Boolean true in JSON = true [OK]

Hint: True without quotes means boolean true, not string [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing boolean true with string "true"
• Choosing false or null by mistake
• Ignoring JSON syntax rules

4.

Look at this example request and response pair:

Request: POST /api/login HTTP/1.1\nHost: example.com\nContent-Type: application/json\n\n{"username": "user", "password": "pass"}

Response: 404 Not Found

What is the most likely error in the example?

medium

A. The URL path is incorrect or missing

B. The HTTP method POST is invalid

C. The Content-Type header is wrong

D. The JSON body is malformed

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand 404 Not Found meaning

   404 means the server did not find the requested URL path.

2. Step 2: Check the request details

   POST and Content-Type look correct; JSON body is valid. So the path is likely wrong or missing.

3. Final Answer:

   The URL path is incorrect or missing -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   404 error = wrong URL path [OK]

Hint: 404 means URL path not found, check request URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking 404 means bad JSON or headers
• Assuming POST method is invalid
• Ignoring the URL path correctness

5.

You want to create an example response for a REST API that returns a list of products with their id and price. Which JSON response below correctly shows two products?

hard

A. [{"id": 1, "price": "9.99"}, {"id": 2, "price": "19.99"}]

B. {"id": 1, "price": 9.99, "id": 2, "price": 19.99}

C. [{"id": 1, "price": 9.99}, {"id": 2, "price": 19.99}]

D. {"products": {"id": 1, "price": 9.99}, {"id": 2, "price": 19.99}}

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct JSON array format

   A list of products should be an array (square brackets) containing objects for each product.

2. Step 2: Check each option's JSON structure

   [{"id": 1, "price": 9.99}, {"id": 2, "price": 19.99}] is a valid JSON array with two objects, each with id and price as numbers. {"id": 1, "price": 9.99, "id": 2, "price": 19.99} is invalid JSON with duplicate keys. [{"id": 1, "price": "9.99"}, {"id": 2, "price": "19.99"}] uses price as strings, which is allowed but less ideal. {"products": {"id": 1, "price": 9.99}, {"id": 2, "price": 19.99}} has invalid JSON syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   [{"id": 1, "price": 9.99}, {"id": 2, "price": 19.99}] -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Array of objects with numeric price = [{"id": 1, "price": 9.99}, {"id": 2, "price": 19.99}] [OK]

Hint: Use JSON array with objects for multiple items [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using duplicate keys in one object
• Incorrect JSON syntax with braces and commas
• Using strings for numeric values unnecessarily