How do you create RESTful API resources that work for everyone?

This is correct. A way of thinking that always puts a developer in a good direction is to think yourself as a consumer of the API with no knowledge of the implementation. All endpoints should be concise, follow a specific naming logic and remember, you are creating endpoints for retrieving and updating specific resources - that's all you need to worry about.

I found that the 80/20 rule often applies to APIs 80% of the users of the API often only need 20% of the functionality provided. If you know or strongly suspect which functionality will be the most sought for, make those functions/endpoints very easy to use and optimize the documentation by placing these examples at the top.

To create universally functional RESTful API resources, adhere to standardized HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), consistent URL structures, and meaningful status codes. Prioritize clarity, simplicity, and logical organization in endpoints and payloads. Offer comprehensive documentation, examples, and versioning to assist developers. Implement content negotiation for diverse data formats. Focus on security through authentication and authorization mechanisms. Consider scalability and performance optimizations. Regularly gather user feedback to refine and enhance the API's usability, accommodating a wide range of applications and users effectively.

Selecting meaningful and consistent names for RESTful API resources is more than just a matter of convention—it's a strategic decision that profoundly influences the usability, maintainability, and overall success of your API. This choice directly impacts how developers, both internal and external, perceive and interact with your API. By focusing on clarity and coherence in your naming practices, you're not just making things tidier; you're enhancing the accessibility and longevity of your API. Usability and Understandability:** Choosing names that succinctly describe the purpose of your API endpoints, parameters, and fields makes it easier for developers to understand how to use them without needing to refer to extensive documentation.

Besides following the general rules and guidelines, context and consistency are the key factors in naming self-documenting RESTful APIs.

In addition, many resources provide custom methods. These resources have CRUD operations, but can be supplementary methods by using POST methods POST e.g. /users/123/deactivate.

Regarding the use of the standard HTTP method and status Code, most novice developers are tripping up on this because they the mixing of application operation status and API status. It is essential to keep them separated for security and better error handling.

Wouldn't you request a certain format (e.g. xml) by requesting a specific MIME type? What's shown here violates the first rule, "Use standard HTTP methods"

Actually I disagree with format being a query param. I prefer the accept header for that detail. To me, the query params augment the material properties of the request, like amount if content, sorting order. Formatting is already built into standardized headers.

This deal with two aspects of API - Abstraction of API request - metadata Consistency of Consuming Data These two definitely will simplify work for consumers/clients of the APIs. Again consistency is the key here.

This should be handled via content MIME type using the request header "Accept" and response header "Content-Type". Accept header tells the server about the MIME type that the client accepts. Content-Type header tells the client about the MIME Type that the server has returned.

Especially in open banking, open finance, or open insurance an API market including up-to-date online accessible documentation reduces the integration costs and saves your time. In addition, detailed flow chart documentation revealing the order of required API calls for each business use case make it easier for clients to integrate.

One thing that most of the people don't put much effort on is Documentation of their API purpose or functionality. I would say having a clear, concise and up to date maintained document would save you lot of time and resources, which you can utilize to do something useful. Tools like Swagger are extremey useful in generating documentation for your api but you could also have your own ways of documenting that if that's easier and enduser of your API are comfortable with it.

One thing I've found helpful is to have the API first approach. This gives the opportunity to think/visualize the logic of the API before starting the implementation. Since there is more thought given during the API designing phase, implementation becomes faster and easier. It is very important to document the non-success (non 2xx) status codes, this enables the clients to start their implementation in parallel.

The importance of clear and accurate documentation for your API can't be understated. It's important to think of your documentation as a sales pitch. Engineers and management have limited time. They don't need your api. They need to deliver a product. Documentation should be your opportunity to tell the world how great your API is. In most cases, an APIs should be a easy interface. There are some cases, like google, Apple, etc who have such massive demand that it's worth the effort for engineers to burden poor docs or reengineer APIs. But if your the rest of us, have good docs, or no one will use your API. Being, Concise without sacrificing clarity or accuracy is always a plus

Securing the API is the most important part especiallly if it involves sensitive data. OAUTH2.0 is the industry standard protocol that the developer can think of incorporating to secure the API. This can have several types of authentication/authorization flows that one can choose based on the requirement of the project. Many providers require the developers to register first with the API provider and then use the registered app to get access to the API and get access to the users' data on their behalf. Also we should be careful of the level of access provided to the data. Incremental access grant can be a better option in such cases.

REST APIs are great because they are logically simple. They don’t keep complex states in memory, and they deal with resources instead of loose, unconnected functions, making their entire business logic cohesive. However, due to the nature and mechanics underlying REST APIs, securing them is not always straightforward. What happens after the user submits their credentials? You can’t keep a state on your server side to signal when a user has logged in on their subsequent requests, so how can you know that they’ve done so correctly? One very powerful yet simple way to secure a REST API using JSON Web Tokens (JWT). JSON Web Tokens are an open, standard way for you to represent your user’s identity securely during a two-party interaction.

Another important aspect of the RESTful API is versioning. Most APIs change over time. Some of these changes are breaking changes, and current users of these APIs encounter difficulties using APIs. Breakthrough changes include: * a change in the format of the response data for one or more calls * a change in request or response type (i.e. changing an integer to a floating point number) * Removal of part of the API. Breaking changes should always result in a major version number change for an API or content response type. Protected changes such as adding new endpoints or new response parameters do not require a major version number change.

Intent drifting is one significant concern, especially for internally facing API - it often leads to bloated data returns and unintended security breaches.

API documentation is extremely important for the detailed technical usage, but just as important is defining the intended usage. What I have found in working with web services is that clearly defined use cases make using the API easier and less error prone. Whenever the intended usage is not clear I have found that project time ends up consumed with lots of rework and with updates to the API interface.

Versioning Versioning is the practice of indicating which version of your API a client should use when making requests. This allows you to make changes to your API over time without breaking existing clients' functionality. Why Use Versioning: Versioning helps in the following ways: Backward Compatibility: Existing clients can continue using the version they are compatible with while newer clients can use the latest version. Smooth Migration: Clients can migrate to newer versions at their own pace, avoiding sudden disruptions. When to Version: When making substantial changes that could impact existing clients. Introducing new features that not all clients need to use. Gradual rollout of breaking changes.