Learn core API concepts, types, and design principles.
- What are APIs
- API types and protocols
- Client-server architecture
- Request-response cycle
- API documentation basics
- HTTP protocol overview
- Status codes and headers
- API design principles
Master REST architectural principles and design patterns.
- REST constraints
- Resource-based URLs
- HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
- Stateless communication
- Uniform interface
- HATEOAS principles
- Resource relationships
- REST best practices
Understand HTTP methods and proper status code usage.
- GET for data retrieval
- POST for resource creation
- PUT for full updates
- PATCH for partial updates
- DELETE for resource removal
- 2xx success codes
- 4xx client error codes
- 5xx server error codes
Design effective request and response structures.
- Request body formats
- JSON data structures
- Query parameters
- Path parameters
- Request headers
- Response formatting
- Error response design
- Pagination patterns
Secure APIs with proper authentication and authorization.
- API key authentication
- Bearer token auth
- JWT implementation
- OAuth 2.0 flows
- CORS configuration
- Rate limiting
- Input validation
- Security headers
Manage API evolution with proper versioning approaches.
- URL path versioning
- Header-based versioning
- Query parameter versioning
- Semantic versioning
- Backward compatibility
- Deprecation strategies
- Version migration
- Breaking changes