REST (Representational State Transfer) is the architectural standard governing modern web web APIs. A well-designed RESTful API should be intuitive, consistent, secure, and predictable for client developers consuming your endpoints.

1. Resource Naming Conventions & URIs

URIs should represent nouns (resources) rather than verbs (actions). HTTP methods specify the action being performed.

Bad Practice (Verb-based URIs)
  • /getAllUsers
  • /createNewUser
  • /deleteUser?id=10
Good Practice (Noun-based REST URIs)
  • GET /api/v1/users
  • POST /api/v1/users
  • DELETE /api/v1/users/10

2. HTTP Verbs & Idempotency Rules

Idempotency means making multiple identical requests has the same side-effect on the server as making a single request.

HTTP Method Action Idempotent? Safe?
GET Retrieve resource representation. Yes Yes
POST Create a new resource. No No
PUT Replace an existing resource completely (or create if missing). Yes No
PATCH Partially update specified fields of an existing resource. Depends No
DELETE Remove specified resource. Yes No

3. HTTP Status Codes Standards

Always return accurate HTTP status codes so client software can handle errors predictably:

  • 200 OK: Request succeeded; returning requested payload.
  • 201 Created: Resource successfully created (used with POST).
  • 204 No Content: Action succeeded, but no payload body returned (used with DELETE).
  • 400 Bad Request: Invalid client payload or JSON validation error.
  • 401 Unauthorized: Missing or invalid authentication token (JWT).
  • 403 Forbidden: Authenticated user lacks permission to access resource.
  • 404 Not Found: Target resource URI does not exist.
  • 500 Internal Server Error: Unhandled backend exception or database failure.

4. Standardized JSON Error Response Format

Do not return plain text stack traces. Standardize JSON error outputs across all API endpoints:

{
  "status": 400,
  "error": "Bad Request",
  "message": "Validation failed for user creation",
  "timestamp": "2026-09-30T14:30:00Z",
  "details": [
    { "field": "email", "issue": "Invalid email address format" }
  ]
}

5. Pagination, Sorting & Security

For endpoints returning collections of records, always implement offset or cursor pagination to protect server memory:

  • GET /api/v1/orders?page=2&limit=20&sort=-createdAt
  • Secure endpoints using Authorization: Bearer <JWT_TOKEN> headers.
  • Implement rate limiting (e.g., 100 requests / minute) returning status 429 Too Many Requests.
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