REST API Tutorial

1. REST API Introduction

REST principles, HTTP verbs mapped to CRUD, and a resource-oriented URL design example.

2. Status Codes & Headers

The 2xx-5xx status code families, the codes that matter most, and key HTTP headers.

3. Versioning & Pagination

URL vs header API versioning, and offset vs cursor-based pagination at scale.

4. HATEOAS & Hypermedia

What HATEOAS means, a concrete linked response example, and an honest take on real-world adoption.

5. Authentication for APIs

API keys, JWT bearer tokens and signature verification, and the OAuth2 authorization code flow.

6. Rate Limiting & Throttling

The token bucket algorithm implemented as real middleware, 429 responses, and the Retry-After header.

7. OpenAPI & Documentation

A real OpenAPI spec snippet, why documenting contracts matters, and code-first vs spec-first docs.

8. Testing REST APIs

Testing an endpoint's status codes and response schema, plus checking idempotent methods.

9. REST API Interview Questions

Commonly asked REST API interview questions with clear, practical answers.