API Development for Beginners Course

Lesson 1 • How the Web Works

Explains HTTP, DNS, and browser-server interaction as the infrastructure APIs run on. Connects web fundamentals to API request-response cycles.

Lesson 2 • Types of APIs

Surveys REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and WebSocket APIs by purpose and structure. Helps students choose the right API style for a given scenario.

Lesson 3 • Reading API Documentation

Teaches how to navigate and interpret official API docs, including endpoints, parameters, and authentication notes. Prepares students to use any public API independently.

Lesson 1 • HTTP Response Structure

Explains status codes, response headers, and body payloads returned by servers. Equips students to diagnose API responses accurately.

Lesson 2 • Testing Requests with API Clients

Introduces GUI-based API testing tools to send and inspect live requests without writing code. Builds hands-on confidence before coding begins.

Lesson 3 • Anatomy of an HTTP Request

Breaks down request line, headers, and body components with concrete examples. Students gain the ability to construct valid requests manually.

Lesson 1 • Validating and Linting Data

Teaches schema validation and linting tools to catch malformed payloads before they reach an API. Reinforces data quality habits critical for production work.

Lesson 2 • Working with JSON in Code

Demonstrates serialization and deserialization of JSON using a scripting language. Connects data format knowledge to practical API integration tasks.

Lesson 3 • XML Basics and Comparison to JSON

Introduces XML structure, elements, attributes, and namespaces for legacy API contexts. Students understand when XML is required and how it differs from JSON.

Lesson 1 • Handling Request Data

Covers reading query strings, path parameters, and request bodies inside handler functions. Enables students to build dynamic, data-driven endpoints.

Lesson 2 • Defining Routes and Endpoints

Teaches how to declare URL routes and map them to handler functions in a web framework. Students create the skeleton of a RESTful resource.

Lesson 3 • Returning Proper HTTP Responses

Enforces correct status codes, headers, and error messages in every endpoint response. Aligns the student's API with professional REST conventions.

Lesson 4 • Setting Up the Development Environment

Guides installation of a runtime environment, package manager, and web framework needed to build the API. Removes setup friction so students focus on API logic immediately.

Lesson 1 • Authentication vs. Authorization

Clarifies the conceptual distinction between verifying identity and granting permissions. Sets the mental model required before implementing any security mechanism.

Lesson 2 • OAuth 2.0 Fundamentals

Introduces OAuth 2.0 grant types and the authorization code flow for third-party access. Students understand how delegated authorization works in production APIs.

Lesson 3 • Securing Endpoints with Middleware

Demonstrates writing reusable authentication middleware that guards protected routes. Connects security concepts to practical, maintainable code patterns.

Lesson 4 • Token-Based Auth with JWT

Explains JWT structure, signing, and verification for stateless authentication. Students issue and validate tokens in their API using a signing library.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Good Error Handling

Establishes why consistent, informative error responses improve developer experience. Frames error handling as a design discipline, not an afterthought.

Lesson 2 • Input Validation Techniques

Covers validating data types, required fields, formats, and value ranges before processing. Students add validation layers to every endpoint in their API.

Lesson 3 • Handling Database and External Errors

Addresses errors from database queries and third-party API calls within handler logic. Students wrap external calls with proper try-catch and fallback strategies.

Lesson 1 • Database Migrations

Teaches version-controlled schema changes using migration scripts. Students apply and roll back migrations to manage database evolution safely.

Lesson 2 • Writing SQL Queries in API Handlers

Replaces in-memory logic with parameterized SQL queries inside CRUD handlers. Students execute SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE against a real database.

Lesson 3 • Using an ORM for Database Access

Introduces an Object-Relational Mapper to abstract raw SQL into model-based operations. Students compare ORM and raw SQL approaches for different scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Relational Database Fundamentals

Covers tables, rows, columns, primary keys, and foreign keys as the data model for the API. Provides the schema design vocabulary needed for all database work ahead.

Lesson 1 • Monitoring and Basic Observability

Introduces logging, health check endpoints, and uptime monitoring for a deployed API. Students implement the minimum observability needed to detect and diagnose issues.

Lesson 2 • Deploying the API to the Cloud

Guides containerizing the API and deploying it to a cloud platform with environment variables. Students access their live API via a public URL.

Lesson 3 • Integration Testing API Endpoints

Demonstrates end-to-end tests that send real HTTP requests to a running test server. Students validate full request-response cycles including database interaction.

Lesson 4 • Writing API Documentation with OpenAPI

Teaches the OpenAPI specification format to document endpoints, parameters, and schemas. Students generate interactive documentation from their API code.