Rest API Course

Lesson 1 • URLs, URIs, and Resource Naming

Explains URI structure and how resources are addressed in REST. Correct naming directly impacts API usability and discoverability.

Lesson 2 • HTTP Protocol Essentials

Covers HTTP request-response cycle, headers, and status codes. Provides the protocol foundation every REST API relies on.

Lesson 3 • What Is a REST API

Defines REST as an architectural style and contrasts it with RPC and SOAP. Establishes vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 4 • Six REST Architectural Constraints

Examines each Fielding constraint and its practical implication. Understanding constraints guides compliant API design decisions.

Lesson 1 • API Versioning Strategies

Compares URI, header, and media-type versioning approaches. Selecting the right strategy prevents breaking changes for existing clients.

Lesson 2 • Request and Response Payload Design

Defines payload structure, field naming, and envelope conventions. Well-designed payloads reduce integration errors for consumers.

Lesson 3 • Designing Sub-Resources and Relations

Models relationships between resources using nested and linked approaches. Choosing the right pattern affects performance and clarity.

Lesson 4 • Resource Modelling Fundamentals

Identifies domain entities and maps them to REST resources. Proper modelling prevents endpoint sprawl and inconsistency.

Lesson 1 • JSON Structure and Syntax

Reviews JSON data types, nesting, and common pitfalls. JSON is the dominant REST payload format and must be handled precisely.

Lesson 2 • Content Negotiation

Explains Accept and Content-Type headers for format negotiation. Enables APIs to serve multiple formats from a single endpoint.

Lesson 3 • Handling Binary and File Data

Covers multipart uploads, Base64 encoding, and file download patterns. Binary handling is essential for media and document APIs.

Lesson 4 • Schema Definition and Validation

Uses JSON Schema to define and validate request and response payloads. Schema validation catches errors before they reach business logic.

Lesson 1 • OAuth 2.0 Flows

Maps authorisation code, client credentials, and implicit flows to use cases. OAuth 2.0 is the industry standard for delegated access.

Lesson 2 • API Keys and Basic Authentication

Implements simple credential schemes and explains their limitations. Provides a baseline before introducing token-based approaches.

Lesson 3 • Authentication vs. Authorisation

Distinguishes identity verification from permission enforcement. Clarity on these concepts prevents common security design mistakes.

Lesson 4 • Role-Based Access Control

Enforces permissions at the endpoint and resource level using roles. RBAC ensures users access only the data they are authorised to see.

Lesson 1 • Validation Error Patterns

Handles input validation failures with precise, actionable feedback. Validation errors are the most frequent error type in REST APIs.

Lesson 2 • HTTP Status Code Mastery

Maps every major status code class to correct usage scenarios. Accurate status codes are the first signal consumers use to handle responses.

Lesson 3 • Problem Details Standard

Applies the RFC-defined problem details format for machine-readable errors. Adopting a standard format improves cross-team interoperability.

Lesson 4 • Structured Error Response Design

Defines a consistent error body schema with code, message, and detail fields. Structured errors reduce debugging time for API consumers.

Lesson 1 • Why API Documentation Matters

Establishes documentation as a product deliverable, not an afterthought. Good docs reduce support burden and accelerate consumer onboarding.

Lesson 2 • Documenting Endpoints and Schemas

Writes operation descriptions, parameters, request bodies, and response schemas. Complete endpoint docs enable accurate client code generation.

Lesson 3 • OpenAPI Specification Fundamentals

Introduces OpenAPI structure: info, paths, components, and servers. The spec is the single source of truth for the API contract.

Lesson 4 • Publishing and Maintaining Docs

Renders interactive docs with Swagger UI and Redoc, and automates updates. Automated publishing keeps docs synchronised with the codebase.

Lesson 1 • Rate Limiting and Throttling

Protects API infrastructure with rate limits and communicates limits to clients. Rate limiting prevents abuse and ensures fair resource distribution.

Lesson 2 • Compression and Payload Optimisation

Applies gzip and Brotli compression and trims unnecessary payload data. Compression significantly reduces bandwidth costs for high-traffic APIs.

Lesson 3 • Pagination Patterns

Implements offset, cursor, and keyset pagination for large collections. Choosing the right pattern affects performance and consistency guarantees.

Lesson 4 • Filtering, Sorting, and Field Selection

Adds query parameter controls for filtering, ordering, and sparse fieldsets. These features reduce payload size and unnecessary data transfer.

Lesson 1 • Transport Security and HTTPS

Enforces TLS, configures HSTS, and validates certificates. All production REST APIs must encrypt data in transit without exception.

Lesson 2 • API Testing Strategies

Covers unit, integration, and contract testing for REST endpoints. A layered test strategy catches defects at the lowest possible cost.

Lesson 3 • Monitoring, Logging, and Observability

Instruments APIs with structured logs, metrics, and distributed traces. Observability enables rapid diagnosis of production incidents.

Lesson 4 • Security Vulnerabilities in REST APIs

Identifies injection, broken auth, and excessive data exposure risks. Understanding attack vectors is prerequisite to effective mitigation.