Concurrency is one of those computer science topics that, in theory, makes sense but somehow manages to be a little confusing in practice. In Concurrency 101: From a Beginner’s Point of View, Mrinal gives a straightforward and step-by-step discussion on how languages such as Python, JavaScript, and Go handle more than one thing simultaneously. My favorite was the way the author explained concurrency not as “doing multiple things at the same time,” but rather as making progress on more than one task without getting in each other’s way.

The article starts by explaining the distinction between concurrency and parallelism, a difference that is essential for authors of responsive programs to understand. Mrinal then discusses the mechanisms that support concurrency: processes, threads, and event loops. Each of these has trade-offs, processes are heavier weight but safer, threads are lighter weight with the risk of race conditions, and event loops (like JavaScript’s) rely on non-blocking operations to stay efficient.

There’s a large section on synchronization and how programmers prevent “chaos” when threads are reading and writing shared data. I liked the presentation of mutexes and semaphores. The chef example for describing deadlocks made it easy to see how two threads might be waiting for each other forever. Mrinal does discuss practical solutions such as lock ordering, timeouts, and try-locks, all patterns we’ve discussed in CS-343 when we’ve talked about safe concurrent design.

The post then moves to lock-free programming and message passing and explains how atomic operations and the Actor Model can eliminate many synchronization problems altogether. I liked how Mrinal mapped these concepts to real systems like Go’s concurrency model and Apache Spark’s distributed processes, and how scaling depends on understanding which workloads are benefitted by which model.

I picked this resource because concurrency has been one of the more daunting topics for me. Having the opportunity to read a post that was written from the perspective of another student made it that much more relatable. The analogies, along with real engineering explanations, bridged the gap between textbook theory and real implementation.

I took away from this blog to conceptualize concurrency as orderly cooperation between tasks rather than chaos waiting to happen. It opened my eyes to how careful design choices, like tidy lock ordering or message passing, can make programs more correct and speedier. In the coming times, I will apply these lessons when I am working on multithreaded assignments or any program that demands responsiveness, like my Android application that I made this summer which communicates with a Flask backend. Having the fundamentals of concurrency under my belt will allow me to write cleaner, safer, and more scalable code.

Resources: https://mrinalxdev.github.io/mrinalxblogs/blogs/concurrency.html

From the blog Maria Delia by Maria Delia and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The article “What Is a REST API?
Examples, Uses, and Challenges”, published on the Postman blog, provides an
accessible overview of REST APIs. Rest Api works as a backbone in modern web
communication. It explains that a REST API (Representational State Transfer) is
a standardized way for systems to exchange data over the web using common HTTP
methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. It briefly explains the history of
the rest api and the comparing to Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) api
which required strict message formatting and heavier data exchange while REST api
emerged as a lighter and more flexible architectural style built on standard
HTTP methods. The piece also informs best practices for using REST api like using
correct HTTP status codes, providing helpful error messages, enforcing security
through HTTPS and tokens, In the end, the article shows real-world examples
from well-known platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Amazon S3, and Plaid,
showing how REST APIs are used at scale in everyday applications.

As a software developer trying to be a
full stack developer, api calls were one of my weakest points since I am
struggling to understand how to use it effectively even though I tried to use
it in many areas. I had to ensure that I have a strong, up-to-date conceptual
foundation of what REST APIs are and how they are designed and used in practice
as I use. Since Postman is one of the leading platforms in the API ecosystem,
its educational resources provide an excellent reference point for gaining both
theoretical and practical understanding of how REST APIs work in real-world
development.

Even though the article was long , with YouTube
videos and hard time to understand everything, this article with postman helped
me to better understand the history and the usage of the rest api and its real-world
use compared to before. I learned that REST is not a technology or tool but an
architectural style that enforces clear separation between client and server,
promotes scalability, and ensures that each request carries all necessary
information. Later I plan to use this information to carefully use api as I plan
to create my own REST api endpoints that provide access to datasets and user
submissions while documenting things well unlike before. Ultimately, my goal is
to become comfortable enough with APIs that I can architect entire applications

article link: https://blog.postman.com/rest-api-examples/ 

From the blog Sung Jin's CS Devlopemnt Blog by Unknown and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The article “What Is a REST API?
Examples, Uses, and Challenges”, published on the Postman blog, provides an
accessible overview of REST APIs. Rest Api works as a backbone in modern web
communication. It explains that a REST API (Representational State Transfer) is
a standardized way for systems to exchange data over the web using common HTTP
methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. It briefly explains the history of
the rest api and the comparing to Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) api
which required strict message formatting and heavier data exchange while REST api
emerged as a lighter and more flexible architectural style built on standard
HTTP methods. The piece also informs best practices for using REST api like using
correct HTTP status codes, providing helpful error messages, enforcing security
through HTTPS and tokens, In the end, the article shows real-world examples
from well-known platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Amazon S3, and Plaid,
showing how REST APIs are used at scale in everyday applications.

As a software developer trying to be a
full stack developer, api calls were one of my weakest points since I am
struggling to understand how to use it effectively even though I tried to use
it in many areas. I had to ensure that I have a strong, up-to-date conceptual
foundation of what REST APIs are and how they are designed and used in practice
as I use. Since Postman is one of the leading platforms in the API ecosystem,
its educational resources provide an excellent reference point for gaining both
theoretical and practical understanding of how REST APIs work in real-world
development.

Even though the article was long , with YouTube
videos and hard time to understand everything, this article with postman helped
me to better understand the history and the usage of the rest api and its real-world
use compared to before. I learned that REST is not a technology or tool but an
architectural style that enforces clear separation between client and server,
promotes scalability, and ensures that each request carries all necessary
information. Later I plan to use this information to carefully use api as I plan
to create my own REST api endpoints that provide access to datasets and user
submissions while documenting things well unlike before. Ultimately, my goal is
to become comfortable enough with APIs that I can architect entire applications

article link: https://blog.postman.com/rest-api-examples/ 

From the blog Sung Jin's CS Devlopemnt Blog by Unknown and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The article “What Is a REST API?
Examples, Uses, and Challenges”, published on the Postman blog, provides an
accessible overview of REST APIs. Rest Api works as a backbone in modern web
communication. It explains that a REST API (Representational State Transfer) is
a standardized way for systems to exchange data over the web using common HTTP
methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. It briefly explains the history of
the rest api and the comparing to Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) api
which required strict message formatting and heavier data exchange while REST api
emerged as a lighter and more flexible architectural style built on standard
HTTP methods. The piece also informs best practices for using REST api like using
correct HTTP status codes, providing helpful error messages, enforcing security
through HTTPS and tokens, In the end, the article shows real-world examples
from well-known platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Amazon S3, and Plaid,
showing how REST APIs are used at scale in everyday applications.

As a software developer trying to be a
full stack developer, api calls were one of my weakest points since I am
struggling to understand how to use it effectively even though I tried to use
it in many areas. I had to ensure that I have a strong, up-to-date conceptual
foundation of what REST APIs are and how they are designed and used in practice
as I use. Since Postman is one of the leading platforms in the API ecosystem,
its educational resources provide an excellent reference point for gaining both
theoretical and practical understanding of how REST APIs work in real-world
development.

Even though the article was long , with YouTube
videos and hard time to understand everything, this article with postman helped
me to better understand the history and the usage of the rest api and its real-world
use compared to before. I learned that REST is not a technology or tool but an
architectural style that enforces clear separation between client and server,
promotes scalability, and ensures that each request carries all necessary
information. Later I plan to use this information to carefully use api as I plan
to create my own REST api endpoints that provide access to datasets and user
submissions while documenting things well unlike before. Ultimately, my goal is
to become comfortable enough with APIs that I can architect entire applications

article link: https://blog.postman.com/rest-api-examples/ 

From the blog Sung Jin's CS Devlopemnt Blog by Unknown and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The article “What Is a REST API?
Examples, Uses, and Challenges”, published on the Postman blog, provides an
accessible overview of REST APIs. Rest Api works as a backbone in modern web
communication. It explains that a REST API (Representational State Transfer) is
a standardized way for systems to exchange data over the web using common HTTP
methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. It briefly explains the history of
the rest api and the comparing to Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) api
which required strict message formatting and heavier data exchange while REST api
emerged as a lighter and more flexible architectural style built on standard
HTTP methods. The piece also informs best practices for using REST api like using
correct HTTP status codes, providing helpful error messages, enforcing security
through HTTPS and tokens, In the end, the article shows real-world examples
from well-known platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Amazon S3, and Plaid,
showing how REST APIs are used at scale in everyday applications.

As a software developer trying to be a
full stack developer, api calls were one of my weakest points since I am
struggling to understand how to use it effectively even though I tried to use
it in many areas. I had to ensure that I have a strong, up-to-date conceptual
foundation of what REST APIs are and how they are designed and used in practice
as I use. Since Postman is one of the leading platforms in the API ecosystem,
its educational resources provide an excellent reference point for gaining both
theoretical and practical understanding of how REST APIs work in real-world
development.

Even though the article was long , with YouTube
videos and hard time to understand everything, this article with postman helped
me to better understand the history and the usage of the rest api and its real-world
use compared to before. I learned that REST is not a technology or tool but an
architectural style that enforces clear separation between client and server,
promotes scalability, and ensures that each request carries all necessary
information. Later I plan to use this information to carefully use api as I plan
to create my own REST api endpoints that provide access to datasets and user
submissions while documenting things well unlike before. Ultimately, my goal is
to become comfortable enough with APIs that I can architect entire applications

article link: https://blog.postman.com/rest-api-examples/ 

From the blog Sung Jin's CS Devlopemnt Blog by Unknown and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Throughout my time in numerous computer science classes, API has been a common term that I’ve heard, but I never actually knew what it meant or what it did. I was happy to finally learn about it during class activities and in the introduction of Thea’s Pantry. I found an article by AWS explaining more in depth what APIs are.

What are APIs?

API stands for Application Programming Interface and is a mechanism that enables two software components to communicate with each other using a set of definitions and protocols, similar to the communication between the front end and the back end in Thea’s Pantry. The application sending the request is referred to as the client, and the application responding to the request is the server. In relation to Thea’s Pantry, the front end is the client making calls to the back end, which is the server in this case. Different types of APIs exist such as SOAP, RPC, Websocket, and REST. REST APIs are the most flexible and most popular, and are also the type that we are using in Thea’s Pantry.

REST API

REST APIs are so popular and flexible because the client sends requests to the server as data, and the server uses the client input to start internal functions and send output data back to the client. REST stands for Representational State Transfer and the API uses functions such as GET, PUT, and DELETE in order to access server data. These functions were seen and tested out in recent class activities. The main feature however is statelessness, which means that servers do not save client data between requests. This is a great benefit because it provides scalability, reliability, simplicity and many other key advantages. It is a very good idea to add security to APIs, and REST APIs can be secured by using authorization tokens and API keys.

How to use and API

The first step to using an API is obtaining an API key, which is accomplished by creating a verified account with an API provider. Next, set up an HTTP API client, which will allow you to structure API requests using the API keys. GET, PUT, and DELETE are all HTTP methods for the REST API as seen in class. Even if you do not have an HTTP client, it is still possible to structure requests by yourself in your browser by referring to the documentation of the selected API. And once you understand the API syntax, you are ready to use it on your code.

Source

https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/api

From the blog CS@Worcester – Blog del William by William Cordor and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The article “What Is a REST API?
Examples, Uses, and Challenges”, published on the Postman blog, provides an
accessible overview of REST APIs. Rest Api works as a backbone in modern web
communication. It explains that a REST API (Representational State Transfer) is
a standardized way for systems to exchange data over the web using common HTTP
methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. It briefly explains the history of
the rest api and the comparing to Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) api
which required strict message formatting and heavier data exchange while REST api
emerged as a lighter and more flexible architectural style built on standard
HTTP methods. The piece also informs best practices for using REST api like using
correct HTTP status codes, providing helpful error messages, enforcing security
through HTTPS and tokens, In the end, the article shows real-world examples
from well-known platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Amazon S3, and Plaid,
showing how REST APIs are used at scale in everyday applications.

As a software developer trying to be a
full stack developer, api calls were one of my weakest points since I am
struggling to understand how to use it effectively even though I tried to use
it in many areas. I had to ensure that I have a strong, up-to-date conceptual
foundation of what REST APIs are and how they are designed and used in practice
as I use. Since Postman is one of the leading platforms in the API ecosystem,
its educational resources provide an excellent reference point for gaining both
theoretical and practical understanding of how REST APIs work in real-world
development.

Even though the article was long , with YouTube
videos and hard time to understand everything, this article with postman helped
me to better understand the history and the usage of the rest api and its real-world
use compared to before. I learned that REST is not a technology or tool but an
architectural style that enforces clear separation between client and server,
promotes scalability, and ensures that each request carries all necessary
information. Later I plan to use this information to carefully use api as I plan
to create my own REST api endpoints that provide access to datasets and user
submissions while documenting things well unlike before. Ultimately, my goal is
to become comfortable enough with APIs that I can architect entire applications

article link: https://blog.postman.com/rest-api-examples/ 

From the blog Sung Jin's CS Devlopemnt Blog by Unknown and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This quarter I decided to read “Understanding RESTful API design principles” by the Upsun blog, which talks about many aspects of RESTful API. I picked this because it directly relates to what we’ve been learning recently in class, and relates to a system I will have to work with next semester for my Capstone. I figured it would be a good idea to get more familiar with REST API early.

The article starts off explaining what REST (REpresentational State Transfer) actually is. It’s a “set of architectural principles that define how to design and implement these interfaces”, discussing the HTTP methods involved. Being the only API design principle I know of, I had no frame of reference for its advantages compared to other options, but the article provides a chart and compares RESTful to GraphQL (good for more efficient and specific data fetching) and gRPC (Good for microservices and streaming).

The RESTful architecture typically contains a Client, Server, and Database, but it can include additional elements such as a load balancer or a cache. The Client, Server, and Database are fairly straightforward, being the consumer, the server hosting and processing the requests, and the database to store the data. The load balancer is also intuitive to it’s name, but for the smaller scale system like the Food Pantry which is unlikely to experience a large server load at any time anyway, it’s probably unnecessary.

The article goes into 6 design principles of REST APIs. The first one, Client-server architecture, states that the client and server should operate independently to make long-term maintainability better. The second is Stateless communication, stating that each request from the client should contain all the information needed to process the request. Nothing is stored on the server, so that each request is self-contained and can be handled independently, simplifying the process. The third is Cacheable Responses. If an API response is cacheable, it should include caching headers such as “Cache Control” or “Expires”, so that the data can actually be cached and the server doesn’t need to be queried every time. The fourth principle is Layered System. In many ways this seems similar to the principle of Abstraction, where the API should operate across multiple layers without the client being aware of the layers, reducing complexity and making it so the client doesn’t have to interact directly with multiple backend servers. The fifth is Uniform Interface, stating that the way resources are interacted with (ie. HTTP Methods, URL patterns, etc.) should be standardized and uniform. The last one is Code on Demand, which the article states as optional. It states that servers can use executable code such as Javascript to extend functionality.

Many of these principles were fairly intuitive, but it’s good to have them explicitly stated anyway. Some were also directly connected to our class discussions. Things like caching and the executable code stuff are things we didn’t talk about, but I’ll keep them in mind as we do more with REST API.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Site Title by Justin Lam and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.