Introduction to RESTful API Design
Purpose
This document introduces the fundamentals of designing RESTful (Representational State
Transfer) web APIs that are scalable, maintainable, and easy to consume.
Key Principles
1. Client-Server Separation – keep UI concerns separate from data storage.
2. Statelessness – every request contains all information needed for the server to
fulfill it.
3. Cacheability – leverage HTTP caching headers to improve performance.
4. Uniform Interface – use consistent resource naming and standard HTTP methods.
5. Layered System – allow intermediary layers (load balancers, proxies) without client
awareness.
Design Guidelines
• Resources & URIs: Use nouns, plural where appropriate (e.g., /users/{id}/orders).
• HTTP Methods: GET (read), POST (create), PUT/PATCH (update), DELETE (remove).
• Status Codes: 200 (OK), 201 (Created), 400 (Bad Request), 404 (Not Found), 500
(Server Error).
• Media Types: Prefer JSON (application/json) for responses; version APIs via media
type or URI prefix.
Best Practices
• Provide pagination, filtering, and sorting query parameters.
• Implement HATEOAS links where helpful.
• Document endpoints with OpenAPI/Swagger.
• Secure with HTTPS and token-based authentication (e.g., JWT).