So for this second quarter’s professional development activity, i read the Stack Overflow post, “Best practices for REST API design”(https://stackoverflow.blog/2020/03/02/best-practices-for-rest-api-design/), in basics it covers the fundamental guidelines for designing Restful APIs that are both efficient and developer-friendly, covering some key principles like properly structuring URLs, making sure to use nouns instead of verbs when it comes to endpoint naming, implementing HTTP methods accordingly to standards as well as ensuring consistency in API design. The post also talks a little bit about versioning, error handling and security as vital aspects of any production-level API.
I selected this specific resource considering it does relate to what we were doing in class and some of our homework as well, since we’re getting involved on building maintainable, modular systems and REST APIs are just one of the common interfaces used in modern software architecture, for anyone trying to work in backend development you can deepen your understanding of how to design APIs that other developers can easily understand, use and extend to some degree.
From the rest of the article(no pun intended), I learned that REST isn’t just about making the things in question work but having a consistent and predictable interface that makes client-server communication easier. I like how the article broke down best practices for naming conventions, like how using resource-based URIs like /users or /orders/1234 instead of action-based ones like /getUser makes the API more intuitive. I also remembered about the significance of using HTTP status codes, like 201 Created for successful POST requests or 404 Not Found for missing resources. These small details can contribute somewhat to API usability and maintainability.
So i’d say pretty much that the article reinforces the more architectural concepts that we’ve discussed before in class, like abstraction, modularity and encapsulation. An API that is well-designed abstracts away complex backend logic and presents a clean, understandable interface much like how we design modules in general when it comes to software construction. I also like to think that it connects to our work when it comes to some other software design principles like separation of concerns and loose coupling. RESTful Design makes it so that different parts of a system can evolve independently, which is essential for large-scale software projects.
If i had to reflect on this after my reading of the article, i would say that i realize on some occasions i find myself taking shortcuts when designing endpoints for personal projects, mostly just trying to focus on making sure it’s functionality is in suitable position as opposed to focusing on structure, but after my reading i think i’ll try to be more deliberate when it comes to naming conventions, HTTP method uses and documentation.
Overall, this resource gave me a clearer framework for thinking about web service design, and I can already see how it will help me create more scalable and maintainable software in future projects.
From the blog CS@Worcester – CSTips by Jamaal Gedeon and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.
