7 Best Practices for REST API Design
Creating effective REST APIs requires following proven design principles. Here are the 7 most critical practices:
- Use HTTP methods correctly - GET for retrieval, POST for creation, PUT for updates, DELETE for removal
- Implement proper status codes - Return meaningful HTTP status codes (200, 201, 400, 404, 500)
- Design intuitive URL structures - Use nouns for resources and maintain consistent naming conventions
- Version your APIs - Implement versioning strategies to maintain backward compatibility
- Secure your endpoints - Use authentication, authorization, and HTTPS encryption
- Implement rate limiting - Protect your API from abuse and ensure fair usage
- Provide comprehensive documentation - Use tools like Swagger/OpenAPI for interactive documentation