rest apis, girls who code
TRANSCRIPT
REST APIs@alexjsingerAugust 1st, 2016
What an API is How an API works
1 3Where and why an API is used
2
GoalsTo understand…
#Servers
Servers
A computer on a network
Run software for specific tasks
Specialized servers for things like web pages, emails, and databases
Networked systems need a way to communicate with each other Networked systems
communicate each other
Dash Button
Client-Server Model
Client-Server Model
Client Server
(laptop, phone, physical device) (…just a computer)
Challenges
Systems don’t “speak the same language”
Don’t expose server code
Change server code without breaking communications
Ensure communication is secure
#RESTAPIFTW
presentationalRerogrammingS
T ransfer
API
pplication
nterface
tate
Request / response communicationHTTP
Request
https://www.twitter.com/onedirection
1. URL
2. Method
3. Header information
4. Body
Request / response communicationHTTP
Request
https://www.twitter.com/onedirection
Response
1. Data
2. Header information
3. Status Code
http://www.songzify.com/songssongssongzify.com
Request - URL (endpoint)Unique address for a “thing” or resource on a server
Examples:
Domain Path
http://www.songzify.com/artists
Request - MethodA CRUD style verb to associate the endpoint with an action on the server
Method Description
GET Read resource data from the server
POST Create a resource on the server
PUT Update a resource on the server
DELETE Delete a resource from the server
Request - MethodA CRUD style verb to associate the endpoint with an action on the server
Method Description
GET Read resource data from the server
POST Create a resource on the server
PUT Update a resource on the server
DELETE Delete a resource from the server
Request - MethodA CRUD style verb to associate the endpoint with an action on the server
Method Description
GET Read resource data from the server
POST Create a resource on the server
PUT Update a resource on the server
DELETE Delete a resource from the server
Request - MethodA CRUD style verb to associate the endpoint with an action on the server
Method Description
GET Read resource data from the server
POST Create a resource on the server
PUT Update a resource on the server
DELETE Delete a resource from the server
Response - DataData returned by the server to the client after processing the request
The HTML content of a requested web page
Examples:
JSON or XML of an API request
Response - Status CodeA numeric code to indicate the status of the request
Response - Status CodeA numeric code to indicate the status of the request
Common Codes:Code Description
1xx Information i.e. 101 switching protocols
2xx Success i.e. 200 OK or 201 created
3xx Redirection i.e. 301 moved permanentely
4xx Client Error i.e. 401 unauthorized or 404 not found
5xx Server Error i.e. 500 internal server error
Putting it all together…Requests use the URL, Method, Body and Headers to tell the serverwhat it wants to do.
GET https://api.twitter.com/1.1/statuses/user_timeline.json?user_id=onedirection&screen_name=onedirection
Request:
Response:
Let’s take a look at the real data!
#DesignAPI
Think about features that API should expose on the serverSongzify
It should…
List all artists
List all songs by artist
List all songs
Allow an artist to be created
Allow an artist to be deleted
/artists
/songs/{artist_id}
/songs
/artists
/artists/{artist_id}
Endpoint
GET
GET
GET
POST
DELETE
Method
-
artist_id
-
artist_name
artist_id
Body
Dinner with an APIExercise
Groups of 2
Think through a full dinner and functionality a “Server” should provide to satisfy the “Client”
Create a table showing the Endpoints, Methods, and Body for each action
For each action, describe the expected response from the server
#LearnMore
API DocsAPI docs outline requirements for requests and response
It’s a good idea to become familiar with their structure since most RESTAPIs follow the same format
Examples:
https://dev.twitter.com/rest/publichttps://developer.spotify.com/web-api/endpoint-reference/https://www.instagram.com/developer/endpoints/
REST APIs@alexjsinger
What an API is How an API works
1 3Where and why an API is used
2
GoalsTo understand…
#ThankYou!