RESTful API design for devices in IOT Protocols - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding RESTful API resource naming for devices

Which of the following URL paths best follows RESTful API design principles for accessing a list of all devices?

A /devices

B /getDevices

C /deviceList

D /listDevices

💡 Hint

Think about using nouns and plural forms for resource collections.

RESTful APIs use nouns to represent resources. The plural form '/devices' is the standard way to represent a collection of device resources.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

HTTP method for updating device configuration

What is the expected HTTP status code when successfully updating a device configuration using a PUT request?

IOT Protocols

PUT /devices/123/config HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{"mode": "active", "threshold": 75}

A 201 Created

B 200 OK

C 204 No Content

D 404 Not Found

💡 Hint

Consider what status code means successful update with response body.

200 OK indicates the update was successful and the server returns the updated resource or confirmation.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Correct sequence of RESTful API calls to register and activate a device

Arrange the following API calls in the correct order to register a new device and then activate it.

A 1,2,4,3

B 2,1,3,4

C 1,3,2,4

D 1,2,3,4

💡 Hint

Think about creating first, then checking, then updating status.

First, create the device with POST. Then confirm creation with GET. Next, activate by PATCH updating status. DELETE comes last in the full sequence.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Diagnosing a 405 Method Not Allowed error on device endpoint

A client sends a DELETE request to /devices/456 but receives a 405 Method Not Allowed error. What is the most likely cause?

A The client sent an invalid JSON payload

B The server is down

C The API does not support DELETE method on /devices/{id}

D The device ID 456 does not exist

💡 Hint

405 means the method is not allowed on the resource.

405 Method Not Allowed means the HTTP method (DELETE) is not supported on that endpoint, regardless of resource existence.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Choosing the best approach for device API versioning

Which of the following is the best RESTful API versioning strategy for devices to ensure backward compatibility?

A Include version number in the URL path, e.g., /v1/devices

B Add version as a query parameter, e.g., /devices?version=1

C Use a custom HTTP header for version, e.g., X-API-Version: 1

D Change the resource names for each version, e.g., /devicesV1

💡 Hint

Consider clarity and cacheability in URLs.

Including the version in the URL path is the most common and clear approach, making it easy to route and cache requests properly.