Designing a good API requires careful consideration of structure, versioning, authentication, and documentation. Here are the best practices for building RESTful APIs that are maintainable and developer-friendly.
Key Principles
A well-designed API should be intuitive, consistent, and easy to use. Follow these principles to create APIs that developers will love to work with.
- Use proper HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
- Implement consistent naming conventions
- Version your API from the start
- Provide comprehensive documentation
- Handle errors gracefully with proper status codes
