APIs are the backbone of modern applications. A well-designed REST API is easy to understand, use, and maintain — while a poorly designed one can cause confusion and frustration for developers.
Here are 10 best practices you should follow when designing REST APIs:
1. Use Nouns, Not Verbs in Endpoints 🚦
Endpoints should represent resources, not actions.
✅ /users/123
❌ /getUserById
2. Use Plural Nouns for Collections 📂
Consistency matters:
-
/users→ collection -
/users/123→ single resource
3. Stick to HTTP Methods Properly 📜
-
GET→ Retrieve -
POST→ Create -
PUT→ Update (replace) -
PATCH→ Update (partial) -
DELETE→ Remove
4. Use Proper Status Codes 📊
Return meaningful HTTP codes:
-
200 OK→ Success -
201 Created→ Resource created -
400 Bad Request→ Invalid input -
401 Unauthorized→ Authentication required -
404 Not Found→ Resource missing -
500 Internal Server Error→ Something broke
5. Provide Filtering, Sorting, and Pagination 📑
Example:
GET /users?role=admin&sort=name&limit=10&page=2
6. Use Consistent Naming Conventions ✍️
Stick to lowercase, hyphen-separated (kebab-case) or snake_case. Example:
✅ /blog-posts
❌ /BlogPosts
7. Version Your API 📌
Don’t break clients when updating:
/api/v1/users
8. Return JSON (and Stick to It) 🟦
JSON is the most widely supported format. Keep responses consistent.
9. Provide Useful Error Messages ❗
Instead of just:
{ "error": "Bad Request" }
Return:
{
"error": "Invalid email format",
"field": "email"
}
10. Secure Your API 🔒
- Always use HTTPS
- Implement authentication (JWT, OAuth2, etc.)
- Rate-limit requests to prevent abuse
🏆 Wrapping Up
A clean REST API design makes your service more developer-friendly, reliable, and scalable. By following these best practices, you’ll save yourself and your users a lot of pain down the road.
💬 Which REST API mistake have you seen the most in real-world projects? Let’s discuss in the comments 👇
Top comments (1)
Nice summary. Thanks!