I chose the blog post, “Best Practices for REST API Design” by John Au-Yeung because it addresses the best practices developers should be following when it comes to utilizing REST API. The blog shows us strategies that we can use so we can create items to the best of our abilities. In class, we have been using the REST API since Thea’s Pantry utilizes it. Due to this, while we have been learning a lot about it due to classwork and homework, it was interesting to be able to read other perspectives such as this blog. This is really our first introduction in our computer science classes on design like this so the more we can read and learn the better.

In the blog, the author focuses on creating user-friendly APIs that adhere to widely accepted principles. The foundation of REST API design is using nouns in endpoints to represent resources, such as /users or /orders, rather than actions like /getUser. This approach keeps the API intuitive and aligns with REST conventions. HTTP methods play a vital role, with verbs like GET , POST , PUT , and DELETE defining the operations on these endpoints. The principle of statelessness is key to this design, meaning each request from a client must contain all the necessary information for the server to fulfill it. This avoids maintaining client-specific state on the server, simplifying scaling and debugging. Error handling is another essential practice. APIs should return meaningful and consistent HTTP status codes, such as 404 for “not found” or 400 for “bad request,” paired with descriptive error messages to guide users on fixing issues. For managing large datasets, pagination, filtering, and sorting should be supported. These features enhance performance by limiting the data returned and allowing clients to specify exactly what they need. APIs should adopt JSON as the standard response format, as it’s widely used and easy to parse. Including appropriate content-type headers ensures compatibility across platforms. These practices foster better user experiences, maintainability, and scalability. By following them, developers can create APIs that are reliable, predictable, and efficient, promoting successful integrations across diverse client applications.

From the blog, I was able to learn the best practices when it comes to designing using REST API. Going forward, I plan to incorporate these practices as I continue to learn more about front end work. After reading, I feel like I will be able to increase my learning in this area as well as be able to share these practices with my peers.

https://stackoverflow.blog/2020/03/02/best-practices-for-rest-api-design/

From the blog CS@Worcester – Giovanni Casiano – Software Development by Giovanni Casiano and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

I chose the blog post, “Designing for the Unexpected” by Cathy Dutton because it addresses how one can create designs that can combat unexpected content changes. The blog shows us strategies that we can use so we don’t get stuck in situations like this. On my own time, I have been learning how to create in the web design space so that was one of the main factors when choosing this blog. This is what led me to choose this blog post, so I can learn how to not make mistakes and so I can follow the strategies laid out to design in the most efficient way possible.

In the blog, Dutton explores strategies for creating adaptable web designs that accommodate unforeseen content changes and evolving device landscapes. She reflected on the evolution from fixed-width designs to responsive layouts, emphasizing the necessity of planning for flexibility from the outset. Dutton recounts her early experiences with web design, and  highlights the challenges of transitioning to responsive design, noting that it requires comprehensive planning during the design phase rather than being an afterthought. To implement responsive designs, Dutton initially utilized percentage-based layouts with native CSS and utility classes, later incorporating Sass for reusable code and more semantic markup. Media queries played a crucial role in this process, allowing designs to adapt at specific breakpoints to maintain readability across different screen sizes. However, she observed that this method often necessitated complex markup, posing challenges for content management, especially for users without extensive HTML knowledge. Dutton introduces the concept of intrinsic design, a term coined by Jen Simmons, which leverages new and existing CSS features to create layouts that respond organically to content and available space. This approach employs the ‘fr’ unit to distribute space flexibly without compromising content legibility, enabling designs to adapt dynamically to varying content and container sizes. Intrinsic design moves beyond predefined breakpoints, fostering components that are inherently responsive. The article also discusses the limitations of relying solely on frameworks like Bootstrap for responsive design. Dutton emphasizes the importance of designing for diverse user contexts, acknowledging that users interact with websites across various environments and devices. By adopting flexible design principles and focusing on content adaptability, designers can create resilient and future-proof web experiences that cater to unforeseen changes and diverse user needs. The blog advocates for a shift towards intrinsic design methodologies that prioritize content flexibility and responsiveness. By embracing CSS advancements and moving beyond rigid frameworks, designers can craft web experiences that gracefully adapt to the unpredictable nature of content and device evolution.

From the blog, I was able to learn the best strategies when it comes to designing an adaptable web interface. Going forward, I plan to incorporate these strategies as I continue to learn more about designing web pages. After reading, I feel like I will be able to increase my learning in this area as well as be able to share these strategies with my peers.

https://alistapart.com/article/designing-for-the-unexpected/

From the blog CS@Worcester – Giovanni Casiano – Software Development by Giovanni Casiano and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

I chose the blog post, “Software Documentation Best Practices” by David Oragui because it addresses the challenges in documentation and how to go about following the best practices. The blog shows us all of the best practices of documenting your work to prevent having challenges when faced with the task. In my time coding, documenting has been a struggle knowing how to document and when to do it. This is what led me to choose this blog post, so I can learn how to not make these mistakes in the future and become better when it comes to creating documentation.

The blog explained to the reader how software documentation is essential for enhancing user experience and ensuring consistent software development. Despite its benefits, developers often neglect documentation due to constraints like time, expertise, or resources. This gap can result in user difficulties and inefficiencies in development processes. The blog first described the  types of software documentation. First, project documentation which is aimed at development teams, covering technical design, project plans, and requirements. Next is product documentation, this is more user-focused, including instructional manuals, reference guides, and installation instructions. Third, the blog described process documentation which details steps for development, testing, and maintenance, ensuring consistency and clarity. Then, technical documentation which provides in-depth technical insights, such as APIs, architecture, and data models. In addition, there is system documentation which explains system architecture, components, and troubleshooting methods. Last is user documentation, this is similar to product documentation as it is user-friendly materials like how-to guides, tutorials, and reference docs. The benefits of documentation include improved user experience, enhanced collaboration, increased efficiency and improved quality. The best practices for writing documentation include prioritizing documentation, identifying the target audience, defining the scope, developing a strategy and being able to write clearly for the audience.

From the blog, I was able to rethink my use of documentation and highlighted the best practice when creating documentation. Going forward, I plan to be more thoughtful about my use of documentation and how I go about creating it. The blog taught me that well-designed documentation should cover all the necessary information to allow others to understand without being confusing.. This perspective will help me develop documentation that is easily readable and documents what work is being created. After reading, I feel like I will be able to not make as many mistakes when it comes to creating documentation.

https://helpjuice.com/blog/software-documentation

From the blog CS@Worcester – Giovanni Casiano – Software Development by Giovanni Casiano and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

I chose the blog post, “People Don’t Understand OOP” by Sigma because it addresses recurring challenges in programming, specifically around OOP. Understanding how to improve my approach to OOP principles would help me write cleaner, more effective code that’s easier to maintain and adapt over time. Not following these concepts has led to messy code in previous years. Personally, I feel like I made a lot of these mistakes when I first started coding, however as more classes have gone by I have been able to break some of these bad habits. Unfortunately, there are times when I will make these mistakes when coding without thinking so that is what led me to choose this blog post, so I can learn how to not make these mistakes in the future.

The blog post  explores common misunderstandings surrounding Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). The author, Sigma,  argues that misconceptions often stem from oversimplified metaphors and an incomplete grasp of fundamental principles like encapsulation and abstraction. Frequent mistakes include equating OOP with buzzwords like inheritance and getters/setters, while neglecting its core concepts such as bundling related state and behavior into cohesive units (objects) and minimizing dependencies through proper encapsulation.

The post highlights that encapsulation is not merely about hiding internal state but about reducing interdependencies and ensuring modularity. Public properties, often critiqued for exposing internal states, are likened to getters and setters in their inability to prevent object coupling. The author points out that real-world OOP is much more nuanced, involving trade-offs that depend on the problem domain and language constraints. A detailed comparison of popular languages, including JavaScript, Python, Rust, and Go, demonstrates varying implementations of OOP features like inheritance, subtyping, and encapsulation. 

From the article, I was able to rethink my use of OOP principles and highlighted that simplicity and adaptability should be the goal when programming. Going forward, I plan to be more thoughtful about whether OOP concepts like inheritance are necessary or if simpler, more flexible design choices would work. The article taught me that well-designed OOP should evolve naturally rather than forcefully adhering to principles. This perspective will help me develop solutions that adapt to change more easily, making my work in software development more efficient and adaptable. After reading, I feel like I will be able to not make as many mistakes that lead to inefficient use of OOP creating a better and more efficient workflow when coding.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Giovanni Casiano – Software Development by Giovanni Casiano and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The blog post “Mocking Made Easy: Understanding Mockito for Java Unit Testing” describes what mocking is and how to use mockito for java testing. I chose this blog post because this semester we have covered mocking and its uses during our in class activities. I feel like this post made effective and efficient descriptions for mocking and mockito allowing readers to grasp a greater understanding of the topic.

The blog starts with describing the importance of unit testing in software development and highlights the challenges developers face when testing components that have dependencies on other classes or external systems. The blog focuses on the tool Mockito. Which as a solution, facilitates the creation of mock objects to mimic the behavior of real objects, enabling isolated testing of individual components.The blog focuses on the fundamentals of Mockito, explaining concepts such as mocks, stubs, and spies. A mock object simulates the behavior of a real object, allowing developers to define its responses to method calls. Stubs are similar to mocks but focus solely on returning predefined values rather than executing real code. Spies, on the other hand, are used to monitor real objects while still allowing their original behavior. In addition, the blog highlights Mockito’s usage through code examples, demonstrating how to create mock objects, specify their behavior using method chaining, and verify interactions between the tested component and its dependencies.The blog post emphasizes the importance of clear and concise test code, advocating for readable and maintainable test suites. Additionally, the post explores advanced Mockito features such as argument matchers, which allow for flexible verification of method invocations with varying arguments, and annotations for simplifying mock creation and injection. The author also discusses best practices for using Mockito effectively, including avoiding excessive mocking, preferring real objects over mocks whenever feasible, and refraining from mocking third-party code unless necessary. In conclusion, the blog provides a comprehensive overview of Mockito, offering practical insights and examples to help developers harness the power of mocking for robust unit testing. 

After reading this blog post, I feel like I would be better prepared for software testing or quality assurance. The descriptions of mocking and mockito were very helpful in solidifying my knowledge on software testing as well as teaching me new ways to utilize mocking such as using the mockito tool. If I ever am in the situation where I need to create tests and to utilize mocking I feel more comfortable and prepared than before I read the blog.

https://blog.machinet.net/post/mocking-made-easy-understanding-mockito-for-java-unit-testing

From the blog CS@Worcester – Giovanni Casiano – Software Development by Giovanni Casiano and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.