API Design

API Design

When to use this skill

• Designing new REST APIs
• Creating GraphQL schemas
• Refactoring API endpoints
• Documenting API specifications
• API versioning strategies
• Defining data models and relationships

Instructions

Step 1: Define API requirements

• Identify resources and entities
• Define relationships between entities
• Specify operations (CRUD, custom actions)
• Plan authentication/authorization
• Consider pagination, filtering, sorting

Step 2: Design REST API

Resource naming:

• Use nouns, not verbs: /users not /getUsers
• Use plural names: /users/{id}
• Nest resources logically: /users/{id}/posts
• Keep URLs short and intuitive

HTTP methods:

• GET: Retrieve resources (idempotent)
• POST: Create new resources
• PUT: Replace entire resource
• PATCH: Partial update
• DELETE: Remove resources (idempotent)

Response codes:

• 200 OK: Success with response body
• 201 Created: Resource created successfully
• 204 No Content: Success with no response body
• 400 Bad Request: Invalid input
• 401 Unauthorized: Authentication required
• 403 Forbidden: No permission
• 404 Not Found: Resource doesn't exist
• 409 Conflict: Resource conflict
• 422 Unprocessable Entity: Validation failed
• 500 Internal Server Error: Server error

Example REST endpoint:

GET    /api/v1/users           # List users
GET    /api/v1/users/{id}      # Get user
POST   /api/v1/users           # Create user
PUT    /api/v1/users/{id}      # Update user
PATCH  /api/v1/users/{id}      # Partial update
DELETE /api/v1/users/{id}      # Delete user

Step 3: Request/Response format

Request example:

POST /api/v1/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "role": "admin"
}

Response example:

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/json
Location: /api/v1/users/123

{
  "id": 123,
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "role": "admin",
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Step 4: Error handling

Error response format:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Invalid input provided",
    "details": [
      {
        "field": "email",
        "message": "Invalid email format"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Step 5: Pagination

Query parameters:

GET /api/v1/users?page=2&limit=20&sort=-created_at&filter=role:admin

Response with pagination:

{
  "data": [...],
  "pagination": {
    "page": 2,
    "limit": 20,
    "total": 100,
    "pages": 5
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "/api/v1/users?page=2&limit=20",
    "first": "/api/v1/users?page=1&limit=20",
    "prev": "/api/v1/users?page=1&limit=20",
    "next": "/api/v1/users?page=3&limit=20",
    "last": "/api/v1/users?page=5&limit=20"
  }
}

Step 6: Authentication

Options:

• JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• OAuth 2.0
• API Keys
• Session-based

Example with JWT:

GET /api/v1/users
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

Step 7: Versioning

URL versioning (recommended):

/api/v1/users
/api/v2/users

Header versioning:

GET /api/users
Accept: application/vnd.api+json; version=1

Step 8: Documentation

Create OpenAPI 3.0 specification:

openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: User Management API
  version: 1.0.0
  description: API for managing users
servers:
  - url: https://api.example.com/v1
paths:
  /users:
    get:
      summary: List users
      parameters:
        - name: page
          in: query
          schema:
            type: integer
            default: 1
        - name: limit
          in: query
          schema:
            type: integer
            default: 20
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Successful response
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: object
                properties:
                  data:
                    type: array
                    items:
                      $ref: '#/components/schemas/User'
    post:
      summary: Create user
      requestBody:
        required: true
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              $ref: '#/components/schemas/UserCreate'
      responses:
        '201':
          description: User created
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/User'
components:
  schemas:
    User:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: integer
        name:
          type: string
        email:
          type: string
          format: email
        created_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
    UserCreate:
      type: object
      required:
        - name
        - email
      properties:
        name:
          type: string
        email:
          type: string
          format: email

Best practices

1. Consistency: Use consistent naming, structure, and patterns
2. Versioning: Always version your APIs from the start
3. Security: Implement authentication and authorization
4. Validation: Validate all inputs on the server side
5. Rate limiting: Protect against abuse
6. Caching: Use ETags and Cache-Control headers
7. CORS: Configure properly for web clients
8. Documentation: Keep docs up-to-date with code
9. Testing: Test all endpoints thoroughly
10. Monitoring: Log requests and track performance

Common patterns

Filtering:

GET /api/v1/users?role=admin&status=active

Sorting:

GET /api/v1/users?sort=-created_at,name

Field selection:

GET /api/v1/users?fields=id,name,email

Batch operations:

POST /api/v1/users/batch
{
  "operations": [
    {"action": "create", "data": {...}},
    {"action": "update", "id": 123, "data": {...}}
  ]
}

GraphQL alternative

If REST doesn't fit, consider GraphQL:

type User {
  id: ID!
  name: String!
  email: String!
  posts: [Post!]!
  createdAt: DateTime!
}

type Query {
  users(page: Int, limit: Int): [User!]!
  user(id: ID!): User
}

type Mutation {
  createUser(input: CreateUserInput!): User!
  updateUser(id: ID!, input: UpdateUserInput!): User!
  deleteUser(id: ID!): Boolean!
}

References

• OpenAPI Specification
• REST API Tutorial
• GraphQL Best Practices
• HTTP Status Codes

Examples

Example 1: Basic usage

Example 2: Advanced usage