RESTful API Best Practices

RESTful APIs are tools that allow different software systems to communicate efficiently over the internet. Best practices include using clear and consistent URLs (addresses) to identify resources, employing standard HTTP methods (like GET for retrieving data, POST for creating, PUT for updating, DELETE for removing), and ensuring responses are structured predictably. Security should be integrated, often through authentication tokens. Proper versioning helps manage updates without breaking existing clients. Additionally, keeping responses lightweight and well-documented makes the API easier to use and maintain. These principles promote reliability, scalability, and ease of integration across diverse systems.