REST API Design Best Practices

What is REST?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications using HTTP.

HTTP Methods

• GET: Retrieve resources (read-only)
• POST: Create new resources
• PUT: Update entire resource
• PATCH: Partial update
• DELETE: Remove resource

RESTful URL Structure

GET    /api/v1/users          # List users
GET    /api/v1/users/:id      # Get user
POST   /api/v1/users          # Create user
PUT    /api/v1/users/:id      # Update user
DELETE /api/v1/users/:id      # Delete user

# Nested resources
GET    /api/v1/users/:id/orders   # User's orders
POST   /api/v1/users/:id/orders   # Create order

HTTP Status Codes

• 200 OK: Success
• 201 Created: Resource created
• 204 No Content: Success, no data
• 400 Bad Request: Invalid input
• 401 Unauthorized: Authentication required
• 404 Not Found: Resource doesn't exist
• 500 Internal Server Error: Server error

API Versioning

# URL versioning (recommended)
https://api.example.com/v1/users

# Header versioning
Accept: application/vnd.example.v1+json

Best Practices

• ✅ Use nouns for resources (not verbs)
• ✅ Use plural nouns (/users not /user)
• ✅ Return consistent JSON structure
• ✅ Use pagination for large datasets
• ✅ Implement rate limiting
• ✅ Use HTTPS everywhere
• ✅ Document with Swagger/OpenAPI

Example Response Format

{
  "data": {
    "id": 123,
    "name": "Alice",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  },
  "meta": {
    "timestamp": "2026-02-06T12:00:00Z"
  }
}