REST APIs are a powerful way to interact with data and services over the internet. They use a consistent set of rules to define how data is accessed and manipulated, which makes them easy to use and understand.
One of the most important aspects of REST APIs is how they handle data. Data can be passed to and from REST APIs in three ways: query parameters, URI parameters, and body structure.
By understanding how query parameters, URI parameters, and body structure work, you can build REST APIs that are efficient, reliable, and flexible.
The key-value pairs that are optional and appear in the URL after the question mark are known as query parameters.
They basically function as URL extensions that are used to help determine specific content or actions based on the data being delivered. The URL is terminated with a “?” to include query parameters. Path and query parameters are separated using a question mark.
To add multiple query parameters, we can place “&” between them, which is referred to as a query string.
Here are some examples of query parameters:
✳️ page=1 - This parameter specifies that the user wants to view the first page of results.
✳️ size=10 - This parameter specifies that the user wants to see 10 results per page.
✳️ sort=date - This parameter specifies that the user wants to sort the results by date.
A URI parameter in a REST API is a variable element enclosed in curly braces {} inside relative URI of resources. It is used to identify a specific resource or resources. For example, the URL /employees/{employeeID} would identify the employee with the ID employeeID.
URI parameters are a powerful way to customize the behavior of a REST API. They can be used to make APIs more efficient and user-friendly.
We can specify URL path parameters in either {pathParam} or :pathParam format, which will be used to generate the final URL path where the request should be executed.
The body of a REST API request is the data that is sent to the server. It is used to create, update resources, or to perform other actions on the server. The body of a request can be in a variety of formats, including JSON, XML, and plain text.
The body of a request is typically sent using the POST, PUT, or PATCH methods. The POST method is used to create a new resource, the PUT method is used to update an existing resource, and the PATCH method is used to update a portion of an existing resource.
So what are you waiting for? Start learning about REST APIs today!
