🚀 API Design Conventions Every Developer Should Follow

Whether you’re working on a solo project or collaborating in a team, consistent API design makes a huge difference in code quality, collaboration, and scaling.
Here are some battle-tested API conventions I personally recommend:

🔹 1. Use RESTful Routes Clearly
GET /products → Fetch all products
GET /products/:id → Fetch single product
POST /products → Create a product
PATCH /products/:id → Update product
DELETE /products/:id → Delete product

🔹 2. Stick to Naming Consistency
Use camelCase for JSON keys: { “productName”: “Shirt” }
Pluralize resource endpoints: /users, /orders
Avoid mixing verbs in URLs — use the method (GET, POST) to describe action.

🔹 3. Clear Status Codes
200 OK — Success
201 Created — New resource created
400 Bad Request — Invalid input
401 Unauthorized — Login required
404 Not Found — Resource doesn’t exist
500 Internal Server Error — Something broke ☠️

🔹 4. Include Pagination for Lists
http
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GET /products?page=1&limit=20
Respond with:
json
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{
“data”: […],
“meta”: { “total”: 200, “page”: 1, “limit”: 20 }
}

🔹 5. Version Your API
Keep your APIs backward compatible:
bash
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GET /api/v1/products

🔹 6. Return Meaningful Errors
json
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{
“error”: “Invalid request”,
“details”: [“productName is required”, “price must be a number”]
}

🔹 7. Validate Input Always
Don’t rely on the client — use server-side validation (Zod, Yup, Joi, etc.).

🔹 8. Use OpenAPI (Swagger) for Docs
Auto-generate and maintain interactive API docs. Your frontend team will love you ❤️

🎯 Remember: APIs are contracts. Clean, consistent design = happy developers and faster features.