API Integration: Backend Job or Frontend Nightmare?

I didn’t quite eat much last week because I had API for lunch.

Three square endpoints a day, cold, undocumented, and nested like Russian dolls.

I’m a frontend developer. And while most people think that means I just make things “look pretty,” I’ve come to realize that building UI is sometimes the least frustrating part of my job. Especially when API integration decides to pull a plot twist.

This post is part rant, part lesson, and part support group session. If you’ve ever tried to implement an API while learning something like React Query on the fly, well, hi, your roommate here.

Beyond Buttons: The Real Frontend Grind

"Frontend is just buttons and colors, right?"
That’s what they said.

But here’s the reality: UI is just the visible part of the iceberg. Beneath that are layers of logic, state management, conditional rendering, and of course, everyone’s favorite “API integration” (I still get butterflies when I integrate APIs, though).

Especially when you’re working on a large-scale web app, where each button might trigger multiple chained queries, and each user action needs to reflect updated data in real-time — it's no walk in the park.

Okay, let me sneak this one in

Last year, I tried integrating an API for a hotel booking website.
I thought it would be simple: click “search,” get results.

That illusion lasted about five minutes.

Instead, it became a logic puzzle. To get value A, I had to:

• First, query endpoint C

• Then feed that response into endpoint B

• Then take that result, shape it, and plug it into endpoint A

Really??? That’s not an API call, that’s multi-step algebra! I was thinking you might as well add formulas for finding X and Y to make it more logical, kind sir.

Thank you for the friendly reminder. I do hate maths, but somehow, I love the logic behind it. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting to run equations just to retrieve a list of hotel rooms.

Wait, Aren’t We Just the UI People?

People love to associate backend with logic and frontend with visuals. But in practice, frontend developers juggle complex logic daily, especially when dealing with:

• Chained API calls

• Async data fetching

• State syncing across components

• Conditional UI updates

• Handling errors with grace (or at least with console.log and lot of prayers)

All while keeping the interface smooth, responsive, and intuitive for users.

So yes, the logic is real. And it doesn’t always come wrapped with clean documentation or helpful error messages.

React Query Threw Me Into the Deep — I Swam (Eventually)

In this particular nightmare, I was also picking up React Query for the first time.
I've finally come to realize what "Learning on the job" means, and for real, this was a tough one.

Although the learning curve initially felt like trying to catch a train while tying your shoelaces, once it clicked, I could finally manage:

• Automatic caching

• Background refetching

• Query deduplication

• Built-in loading and error states

Paired with Axios for custom request handling and interceptors, I started feeling like I had a handle on things.

Here’s a rough example of what I dealt with (simplified):

const { data: stepOne } = useQuery('stepOne', () => axios.get('/api/c'), {
  onSuccess: (res) => {
    const id = res.data.id;
    queryClient.prefetchQuery(['stepTwo', id], () => axios.get(`/api/b/${id}`));
  },
});

This pattern helps manage multi-step logic cleanly — something you’ll deal with a lot in real-world apps.

You get the point: logic lives in the frontend too.

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To the Backend Folks: Help Us Help You

If your API takes three endpoints and two hours of guesswork to return a list — we need to talk.

Some friendly suggestions:

• Keep endpoint chains minimal.

• Document consistently. Update when things change.

• Flatten response structures.

• Assume zero psychic abilities on our end.

We frontend devs already deal with user expectations, responsiveness, accessibility, and a million breakpoints. A thoughtful API makes everything better.

What This Experience Taught Me

For my fellow frontend devs, especially the juniors:

• Learn how to read and think through API logic.
  Sometimes it's not about what the endpoint gives you, but how you can piece it all together.

• Understand backend structures.
  You don’t have to be a backend expert, but knowing how things should work can help you debug or call out inefficiencies.

• Get comfortable with tools like React Query.
  They do more than fetch, they give structure to the chaos.

• Write mock APIs when practicing.
  Tools like json-server or Mock Service Worker (MSW) are gold for testing your logic before the real API arrives (or works).

Alright, I Am Done. Let’s Do A Rerun

API integration isn’t just a backend concern, it’s a shared responsibility.
And if you’re a frontend dev, it’s time to stop expecting plug-and-play endpoints. We need to build logic bridges, not just UI blocks.

To the backend devs reading this: we appreciate you but help us out once in a while, yeah?

And to all the devs out there who’ve ever stared at a 500 error at 2AM:
I see you. You’re not alone.

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and swap dev war stories.
Next time, maybe we’ll have APIs and jollof — and working endpoints too.