Skip to main content

REST API Cheatsheet

Welcome to the REST API Cheatsheet! This guide provides a quick reference for working with REST APIs, covering essential concepts, HTTP methods, status codes, and common best practices.

Table of Contents​

Introduction to REST API​

REST (Representational State Transfer) embodies a powerful architectural style for designing distributed systems. It emphasizes stateless communication, resource-oriented URLs, and leveraging standard HTTP methods to facilitate seamless interactions between clients and servers.

HTTP Methods​

GET​

  • Description: Retrieve data from a specified resource.
  • Example: GET /api/users

POST​

  • Description: Transmit data for the creation or modification of a resource.
  • Example: POST /api/users

PUT​

  • Description: Update an existing resource or create a new one if absent.
  • Example: PUT /api/users/123

DELETE​

  • Description: Delete a specified resource.
  • Example: DELETE /api/users/123

PATCH​

  • Description: Apply partial modifications to a resource.
  • Example: PATCH /api/users/123

OPTIONS​

  • Description: Retrieve information about the communication options available for a resource.
  • Example: OPTIONS /api/users
  • Description: Retrieve resource headers without the actual data.
  • Example: HEAD /api/users

TRACE​

  • Description: Execute a message loop-back test along the route to the intended resource.
  • Example: TRACE /api/users

CONNECT​

  • Description: Establish a network connection to the resource, often used for SSL/TLS tunneling.
  • Example: CONNECT /api/users

Common HTTP Status Codes​

  • 200 OK: Successful request
  • 201 Created: Resource successfully created
  • 204 No Content: Successful request with no additional content
  • 400 Bad Request: Invalid request format or parameters
  • 401 Unauthorized: Authentication failed or not provided
  • 403 Forbidden: Authentication succeeded, but the authenticated user doesn't have access
  • 404 Not Found: Requested resource not found
  • 500 Internal Server Error: Server encountered an error while processing the request

Request Headers​

  • Authorization: Include authentication credentials (e.g., Bearer token)
  • Content-Type: Specifies the format of the request payload (e.g., application/json)
  • Accept: Indicates the desired response format (e.g., application/json)

Response Headers​

  • Content-Type: Reveals the format of the response payload
  • Location: URL of the newly created resource (for 201 Created status)

Authentication​

  • Bearer Token: Utilize a token within the Authorization header for authentication.

Common Best Practices​

  1. Embrace Plural Nouns for Resources: Prefer /api/users over /api/user
  2. Versioning: Include API versioning in the URL (e.g., /v1/api/users)
  3. Uniform Endpoint Naming: Maintain consistency in naming conventions for endpoints.
  4. Accurate Use of HTTP Status Codes: Employ meaningful status codes in responses.
  5. Pagination: Implement pagination for large result sets.

This cheatsheet covers the basics of working with REST APIs. For in-depth insights, consult official API documentation.

Happy coding!