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ByteByteGo5 min readintro

EP226: API Concepts Every Software Engineer Should Know

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Summary

This article outlines essential API design considerations, covering HTTP fundamentals, architectural styles like REST and GraphQL, and critical aspects such as naming, versioning, security, and reliability. It serves as a high-level checklist for engineers designing or consuming APIs.

  • API design starts with HTTP basics: methods, status codes, request/response formats.
  • Choose appropriate architectural styles like REST, GraphQL, gRPC for different use cases.
  • Naming, pagination, versioning, and error handling are crucial for API usability.
  • Implement robust security (API keys, OAuth, JWTs) and reliability (timeouts, idempotency).

This provides a comprehensive, high-level overview of the many facets of API design, useful as a checklist for engineers to ensure they consider all critical areas.

3/10
devopsapi designsecurityarchitecturereliabilityweb development

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