What are Endpoints?

API Endpoints are the URLs where your API can be accessed by a client application.

They are the point of entry for a client application to access the API.

Methods

APIs are accessed through HTTP methods. The most common methods are:

GET
POST
PUT
DELETE
PATCH
OPTIONS

Headers

HTTP headers let the client and the server pass additional information with an HTTP request or response.

Query Parameters

Query parameters are used to filter the results of an API request.

They are added to the URL after a ? character.

Path Parameters

Path parameters are used to identify a specific resource in an API request.

They are added to the URL as part of the path.

Request Body

The request body is the data sent by the client to the server.

It is used to create or update a resource.

Response Body

The response body is the data sent by the server to the client.

It contains the requested data or an error message.

Status Codes

HTTP status codes are used to indicate the result of an HTTP request.

The most common status codes are:

200 OK
201 Created
400 Bad Request
401 Unauthorized
404 Not Found
500 Internal Server Error

Authentication

APIs are secured using authentication.

The most common authentication methods are:

Basic Authentication
API Key
OAuth

Rate Limiting

Rate limiting is used to prevent abuse of an API.

It limits the number of requests a client can make in a given time period.

Pagination

Pagination is used to limit the number of results returned by an API request.

It is used to improve performance and reduce the amount of data transferred.

Error Handling

Error handling is used to handle errors that occur during an API request.

It provides information about the error and how to resolve it.

Caching

Caching is used to store the response of an API request so that it can be reused later.

It improves performance and reduces the load on the server.

Versioning

API versioning is used to manage changes to an API.

It allows clients to use different versions of an API without breaking existing applications.

Conclusion

API endpoints are the point of entry for a client application to access an API.

They define how the API can be accessed and what data can be retrieved or modified.

Understanding API endpoints is essential for building and consuming APIs.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about API endpoints, you can explore different types of endpoints and how they are used in APIs.

You can also learn about API design best practices and how to build APIs that are easy to use and maintain.

Happy coding! 🚀

Hosts

Hosts refer to the servers or environments where the API or microservices are deployed. They are the physical or virtual machines that handle the API requests.

Hosts

Hosts refer to the servers or environments where the API or microservices are deployed. They are the physical or virtual machines that handle the API requests.