API Design
...
Best Practices
1. Versioning
Always version your APIs to maintain backward compatibility.
Approaches:
- URL versioning (/v1/users)
- Header versioning (Accept: application/vnd.company.api-v1+json)
- Query parameter (?version=1)
- Content negotiation
2. Error Handling
Provide clear, consistent error responses.
Structure:
- Error Code: A unique identifier for the error.
- Message: A human-readable description of the error.
- Details: Additional information about the error.
3. Sub-resources
Handle related resources:
- GET /users/123/orders
- POST /orders/456/items
- GET /teams/789/members
4. Filtering and Sorting
Support flexible data querying.
Query Parameters:
- filter[field]=value
- sort=field:asc,another_field:desc
- search=keyword
- fields=field1,field2,field3
...
Testing Strategies
1. Unit Testing
- Test individual endpoints
- Validate request handling
- Check error responses
- Verify business logic
2. Integration Testing
- End-to-end flows
- Authentication/Authorization
- Rate limiting
- Error scenarios
3. Pagination
Implement pagination for large data sets.
Parameters:
- limit/page_size
- offset/page
- cursor/continuation token
Response Format:
- Include pagination details in the response.
...