API Design Roadmap

Distributed System Refreshers :

1. Rate Limiting Algorithms Explained

2. Stateful vs Stateless Architecture

3. Best Practices for Developing Microservices

4. 10 Problems of Distributed Systems

5. 20 System Design Concepts Every Developer Should Know - Part - I

6. How Shopify handles 16,000 Request per second

7. Software Architecture Pattern - Layered Architecture

8. How Enterprise Applications Exchange Data Using Messaging

9. Microservices Design Pattern - Event Sourcing Pattern

10. Improve API Performance 🚀

11. Distributed System Learning Roadmap

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Basics

A Crash Course to API

These are foundational concepts for understanding how APIs work.

1. HTTP Versions:

   • Differences between HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3.

   • Performance improvements (e.g., multiplexing in HTTP/2, reduced latency in HTTP/3).

2. HTTP Methods:

   • Common methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, and their appropriate use cases.

3. Status Codes:

   • Response codes like 200 OK, 404 Not Found, 500 Internal Server Error, and their meanings.

4. Headers:

   • Key-Value pairs in API requests and responses (e.g., Authorization, Content-Type, Accept).

5. CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing):

   • Mechanism allowing restricted resources to be accessed from different origins.

6. Caching:

   • Techniques to reduce API load and latency using tools like Cache-Control and ETag.

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API Styles

The structure and format of APIs.

1. URL, Query, and Path Parameters:

   • Proper use of query parameters (?key=value) and path parameters (/resource/:id) for API routing.

2. TCP/IP and DNS:

   • Understanding how data flows through the network and how APIs are resolved to IP addresses.

3. REST APIs:

   • Representational State Transfer: A stateless API style focused on resources and HTTP.

4. JSON and SOAP:

   • Data formats (e.g., JSON) and older API protocols like SOAP.

5. GraphQL:

   • Flexible query-based API allowing clients to request specific data.

6. gRPC:

   • High-performance, RPC (Remote Procedure Call)-based API often used in microservices.

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RESTful APIs

Advanced concepts for building and maintaining REST APIs.

A Crash Course to API

1. REST Principles:

   • Statelessness, uniform interfaces, and resource-based architecture.

2. URI Design:

   • Creating intuitive, meaningful endpoints (e.g., /users/{id}/orders).

3. Versioning:

   • Handling API changes gracefully using methods like /v1/resource.

4. CRUD Operations:

   • Basic operations: Create, Read, Update, Delete.

5. Pagination:

   • Managing large datasets with techniques like limit and offset.

6. Rate Limiting:

   • Controlling the number of API requests to prevent abuse.

7. Idempotency:

   • Ensuring repeated requests (like PUT) have the same result.

8. HATEOAS:

   • Hypermedia links that provide API navigation.

9. Error Handling:

   • Returning meaningful error codes (400, 500) and error messages.

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Authentication

Ensures secure access to APIs.

1. Basic Auth:

   • Sending credentials (username/password) with requests (not recommended for modern APIs).

2. Token-Based Auth:

   • Using tokens for authentication, e.g., JWT (JSON Web Token).

3. OAuth 2.0:

   • A popular protocol for authorizing users securely.

4. Session-Based Auth:

   • Maintaining user sessions on the server side for authentication.

Securing Your Microservices: A Comprehensive Guide

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Authorization Methods

Defines what actions a user can perform.

1. RBAC (Role-Based Access Control):

   • Permissions are granted based on user roles.

2. ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control):

   • Permissions are determined by user attributes (e.g., time, location, job title).

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API Performance

Techniques for optimizing API speed and reliability.

Improve API Performance 🚀

1. Performance Metrics:

   • Tools to measure API response time, throughput, and error rate.

2. Caching Strategies:

   • Store frequent responses in memory (e.g., Redis, CDN).

3. Load Balancing:

   • Distributing traffic across multiple servers.

4. Rate Limiting:

   • Preventing API overload by limiting requests per user/IP.

5. Profiling and Monitoring:

   • Identifying performance bottlenecks.

6. Performance Testing:

   • Simulating high loads using tools like JMeter.

7. Error Handling:

   • Handling exceptions gracefully to avoid crashes.

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API Integration Patterns

Architectural approaches for API interactions.

1. Synchronous vs. Asynchronous:

   • Synchronous APIs return responses immediately; asynchronous APIs defer responses.

2. Event-Driven Architecture:

   • APIs react to events (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ).

3. API Gateway:

   • Centralized management for routing, authentication, and monitoring.

4. Microservice Architecture:

   • Breaking applications into smaller, modular APIs.

5. Webhook vs. Polling:

   • Webhooks push data to clients; polling requests data at intervals.

6. Batch Processing:

   • Handling multiple requests or data in bulk.

7. Message Queues:

   • Using tools like RabbitMQ or AWS SQS to queue API requests.

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Testing

Ensures APIs work as expected under different scenarios.

1. Unit Testing:

   • Testing individual API endpoints.

2. Integration Testing:

   • Verifying API interactions with other systems.

3. Functional Testing:

   • Ensuring the API fulfills its intended functionality.

4. Load Testing:

   • Checking how APIs perform under high traffic.

5. Mocking APIs:

   • Using mock APIs to test without affecting production.

6. Contract Testing:

   • Ensuring API contracts (specifications) are fulfilled.

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Documentation

Ensures developers can understand and use APIs effectively.

1. Swagger/OpenAPI:

   • Tools for documenting APIs interactively.

2. Readme.com:

   • Platforms for creating detailed API documentation.

3. Stoplight:

   • Another popular tool for API design and documentation.

4. Postman:

   • Widely used for testing and sharing APIs.

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