Blog Post

REST API Design Principles Every Developer Should Know

Building intuitive and maintainable APIs

Building a REST API that's intuitive and maintainable requires more than just connecting endpoints to database queries. Thoughtful design creates APIs that developers actually enjoy working with.

Resource-Based URLs

Structure your endpoints around resources, not actions. Use nouns, not verbs:

Good:

  • GET /api/users
  • POST /api/users
  • GET /api/users/123

Avoid:

  • GET /api/getUsers
  • POST /api/createUser

HTTP Methods Matter

Respect standard HTTP methods and their semantics:

  • GET: Retrieve data (idempotent, no side effects)
  • POST: Create new resources
  • PUT: Update entire resources
  • PATCH: Partial updates
  • DELETE: Remove resources

Status Codes Tell the Story

Use appropriate HTTP status codes:

  • 200: Success
  • 201: Created
  • 400: Bad request
  • 401: Unauthorized
  • 404: Not found
  • 500: Server error

Versioning from Day One

Plan for change by versioning your API immediately. Common approaches include:

  • URL versioning: /api/v1/users
  • Header versioning: Accept: application/vnd.api+json;version=1

Start with v1 even if you think you'll never need v2.

Pagination and Filtering

Return large datasets responsibly. Implement pagination using query parameters: 

GET /api/users?page=2&limit=50

Include metadata in responses:

{
  "data": [...],
  "pagination": {
    "currentPage": 2,
    "totalPages": 10,
    "totalRecords": 500
  }
}

Well-designed APIs reduce support requests and make integration straightforward.