REST API Design Basics for Web Apps
Resource modelling, meaningful HTTP verbs and status codes, pagination patterns, and versioning trade-offs for maintainable public APIs.
Table of Contents
REST API Design Basics for Web Apps
REST remains the default lingua franca for synchronous HTTP APIs — clarity beats novelty.
Model resources, not actions
URLs represent nouns (/articles/{id}), verbs stay in HTTP methods (GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE).
Status codes matter
Return 201 Created with a Location header when appropriate; use 409 Conflict for uniqueness violations — predictable semantics simplify client SDKs.
Pagination
Offset pagination is simple; cursor pagination scales better for live datasets — pick intentionally.
Versioning
Prefix (/v1/...) buys breaking-change room — document deprecation timelines honestly.
Great APIs feel boring: consistent payloads, honest errors, observable latency.
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