API Development Course

Lesson 1 • Data Formats for APIs

Introduces JSON, XML, and other common payload formats. Students learn to read, write, and validate structured data exchanged by APIs.

Lesson 2 • Setting Up a Development Environment

Guides students through installing tools needed to build and test APIs locally. Ensures a consistent, functional workspace before coding begins.

Lesson 3 • HTTP Protocol Essentials

Covers HTTP methods, status codes, headers, and the request-response cycle. Provides the transport-layer knowledge required for all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 4 • Core API Architectural Styles

Compares REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and RPC paradigms at a conceptual level. Helps students choose the right style for a given problem.

Lesson 1 • HTTP Methods and CRUD Mapping

Maps create, read, update, and delete operations to appropriate HTTP methods. Reinforces correct method semantics and idempotency rules.

Lesson 2 • Request and Response Design

Covers payload structure, status code selection, and header usage for requests and responses. Ensures APIs communicate intent clearly to consumers.

Lesson 3 • Resource Modeling and URL Design

Explains how to identify resources, name them correctly, and map them to URLs. Lays the structural foundation for a coherent API surface.

Lesson 4 • Filtering, Sorting, and Pagination

Introduces query parameter patterns for navigating large datasets. Students implement pagination strategies that balance performance and usability.

Lesson 1 • Manual Testing with API Clients

Uses API client tools to send requests and inspect responses for every endpoint. Builds a habit of verifying behavior before writing automated tests.

Lesson 2 • Project Scaffolding and Routing

Sets up a server application, defines routes, and maps them to handler functions. Establishes the structural skeleton for the API project.

Lesson 3 • Input Validation and Error Handling

Adds validation logic and structured error responses to every endpoint. Prevents bad data from entering the system and communicates failures clearly.

Lesson 4 • Implementing CRUD Endpoints

Builds create, read, update, and delete handlers with real logic. Connects HTTP operations to in-memory or database-backed data stores.

Lesson 1 • OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework

Introduces OAuth 2.0 grant types and the roles of authorization server, resource server, and client. Students integrate a third-party OAuth flow into their API.

Lesson 2 • JSON Web Tokens (JWT)

Explains JWT structure, signing, and verification for stateless authentication. Students issue tokens on login and validate them on protected routes.

Lesson 3 • Authentication vs. Authorization Concepts

Clarifies the distinction between proving identity and granting permissions. Frames the security model students will implement in subsequent sections.

Lesson 4 • API Keys and Basic Authentication

Implements simple credential-based schemes suitable for server-to-server use. Students understand their limitations before moving to token-based methods.

Lesson 1 • Schema Design with JSON Schema

Covers JSON Schema syntax for defining data models used in OpenAPI specs. Enables precise validation and documentation of every payload field.

Lesson 2 • API Change Management and Changelogs

Establishes practices for communicating breaking and non-breaking changes to API consumers. Connects versioning strategy from Chapter 2 to documentation workflows.

Lesson 3 • Generating Interactive API Documentation

Uses tooling to render OpenAPI specs as browsable, try-it-out documentation. Students publish docs that developers can use to explore and test the API.

Lesson 4 • Code-First vs. Design-First Workflows

Compares generating specs from code annotations versus writing specs before coding. Students evaluate which workflow fits their team's development process.

Lesson 1 • Unit Testing Business Logic

Isolates and tests individual functions, validators, and service modules. Ensures core logic is correct independent of HTTP or database layers.

Lesson 2 • Integration Testing API Endpoints

Sends real HTTP requests to a running test server and asserts on responses. Validates that routing, middleware, and database layers work together correctly.

Lesson 3 • Testing Strategy and Pyramid

Introduces the testing pyramid and maps test types to API layers. Provides a framework for deciding how many tests of each type to write.

Lesson 4 • Automated Testing in CI Pipelines

Configures a continuous integration pipeline to run the full test suite on every commit. Ensures quality gates block broken code from reaching production.

Lesson 1 • Input Sanitization and Injection Prevention

Covers techniques to neutralize injection attacks targeting SQL, NoSQL, and command interpreters. Builds on validation skills from Chapter 3 with a security focus.

Lesson 2 • Secrets Management and Secure Configuration

Establishes practices for storing credentials, keys, and config values outside source code. Prevents accidental exposure of sensitive data in repositories or logs.

Lesson 3 • Rate Limiting and Throttling

Implements request rate limits to protect APIs from abuse and denial-of-service attacks. Students configure limits at the endpoint and client levels.

Lesson 4 • Transport Security and HTTPS

Enforces encrypted transport for all API traffic and configures secure TLS settings. Prevents eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks on API communications.

Lesson 1 • Observability: Logging, Metrics, and Tracing

Instruments the API with structured logs, metrics, and distributed traces. Enables rapid diagnosis of production issues and informed capacity planning.

Lesson 2 • Performance Profiling and Bottleneck Analysis

Measures API response times and identifies slow queries, blocking I/O, and inefficient code. Establishes a baseline before applying optimizations.

Lesson 3 • Asynchronous Processing and Queues

Offloads long-running tasks to background workers via message queues. Improves API responsiveness by decoupling request handling from heavy processing.

Lesson 4 • Containerization and Deployment

Packages the API into a container image and deploys it to a cloud or on-premises environment. Ensures consistent, reproducible deployments across all environments.