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RESTful API Design: Best Practices and Tips in Creating Your Own RESTful API

Apps exist for just about every sector under the sun. While the terms and features of apps like social media apps, fitness apps, and travel apps will differ, they all have one thing in common: a client-server architecture.

RESTful APIs have become the standard for communicating between a product’s server part and its clients. An excellent RESTful API should support different types of clients and be easily understandable by developers using the API. Let’s take a closer look at the best practices and tips involved with creating your own RESTful API.

Use the Appropriate Supported Data Format

Your RESTful API should send and receive data in an understandable and convenient format. Your data format will determine how effective your API is. The three most commonly used formats used in RESTful APIs are:

Use Uniform Resource Identifiers

Before building your own API, you should have a thorough knowledge of Uniform Resource Identifiers. Dividing your API into logical resources is a key principle of REST. By using the sequence of symbols that identify resources of a Uniform Resource Identifier, developers are able to access representations of that resource.

Use Endpoints

Endpoints specify where resources are located and how third-party software can access them. Naming resource endpoints is critical for API usability. Tips for naming endpoints include:

Keep Older Versions of Your RESTful API

Even if your RESTful API is updated multiple times and even completely rewritten, it is essential you keep older versions running and supported. As long as people use those older versions, they need to be available, and they need to run smoothly still.

Ensure Your API is Secure

It goes without saying that protecting your API against hackers is vital. You can ensure security at the backend development stage by:

Monitor API Access and Usage to Identify Error Handling

It is crucial you monitor real-time API access and usage so you can control exception handling and provide information that enables API clients to understand what happens on the server. You should map all exceptions in an error payload and demonstrate where errors came from.

Understand Error Codes

Anyone creating a RESTful API must understand what different error codes mean. Also known as HTTP status codes, these codes are the standard responses that web servers identify to show whether a performed action was successful or not. Error codes also help developers with troubleshooting and error handling. Common error codes include:

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