API Design Articles | Backend Study Lab

Backend Jul 2, 2026 5 min read

API Abuse Prevention Explained

Learn API abuse prevention for backend systems, including rate limits, authentication signals, quotas, bot patterns, logging, errors, and gateways.

Backend Jul 2, 2026 6 min read

API Authentication Best Practices

Learn API authentication best practices, including tokens, API keys, OAuth, mTLS, sessions, gateways, rotation, scopes, errors, and logging.

Backend Jul 2, 2026 5 min read

CORS Preflight Explained

Learn how CORS preflight requests work, including OPTIONS handling, allowed methods, headers, credentials, caching, errors, and backend mistakes.

Backend Jul 2, 2026 5 min read

OAuth Client Credentials Flow Explained

Learn the OAuth client credentials flow for service-to-service APIs, including clients, secrets, scopes, tokens, rotation, and security risks.

Backend Jul 2, 2026 4 min read

OAuth Scopes Explained

Learn OAuth scopes for backend APIs, including permissions, consent, least privilege, access tokens, naming, validation, and common mistakes.

API Design Jul 1, 2026 5 min read

API Pagination Metadata Best Practices

Learn how to design pagination metadata for REST APIs, including pageInfo, cursors, hasNextPage, limits, totals, links, sorting, and compatibility.

API Design Jul 1, 2026 5 min read

JSON Schema vs OpenAPI Schema

Compare JSON Schema and OpenAPI Schema for backend API contracts, including validation, documentation, examples, tooling, and compatibility.

API Design Jul 1, 2026 6 min read

REST API Design Checklist

Use this REST API design checklist to review resources, methods, status codes, errors, pagination, idempotency, versioning, auth, and OpenAPI docs.

Backend Jul 1, 2026 5 min read

Spring Boot REST Controller Explained

Learn Spring Boot REST controllers, including @RestController, request mappings, DTOs, validation, status codes, error responses, and testing.

Backend Jun 30, 2026 5 min read

API Key Design Best Practices for Backend APIs

Learn practical API key design best practices, including key format, prefixes, hashing, scopes, rotation, rate limits, audit logs, and safe storage.

Backend Jun 30, 2026 5 min read

API Key vs OAuth Token: Practical Backend Differences

Compare API keys and OAuth tokens for backend APIs, including identity, scopes, rotation, expiration, user context, service access, and security tradeoffs.

API Design Jun 30, 2026 4 min read

OpenAPI Explained for Backend Developers

Learn how OpenAPI describes REST APIs, including paths, operations, schemas, examples, auth, versioning, code generation, and contract review.

API Design Jun 30, 2026 4 min read

PUT vs PATCH in REST APIs

Compare PUT and PATCH in REST APIs, including replacement vs partial updates, idempotency, validation, status codes, and backend implementation choices.

API Design Jun 30, 2026 5 min read

Webhook Signature Verification Explained

Learn how webhook signature verification works, including HMAC headers, raw request bodies, timestamps, replay protection, secret rotation, and safe failures.

API Design Jun 29, 2026 4 min read

API Gateway Explained

Learn what an API gateway does in backend architecture, including routing, authentication, rate limiting, observability, and tradeoffs.

Backend Jun 29, 2026 4 min read

CORS Explained for Backend Developers

Learn how CORS works for backend APIs, including origins, preflight requests, credentials, allowed headers, cookies, security limits, and common mistakes.

API Design Jun 29, 2026 4 min read

REST API Error Handling Best Practices

Learn practical REST API error handling patterns, including status codes, stable error codes, field errors, request IDs, and safe messages.

API Design Jun 29, 2026 4 min read

Webhooks Explained

Learn how webhooks work in backend systems, including event delivery, signatures, retries, idempotency, and common design mistakes.

API Design Jun 28, 2026 4 min read

API Versioning Explained

Learn practical API versioning strategies, including URL versions, header versions, backward compatibility, deprecation, and migration plans.

System Design Jun 28, 2026 4 min read

Optimistic Locking Explained

Learn how optimistic locking prevents lost updates in backend systems using version columns, compare-and-swap updates, and 409 conflicts.

API Design Jun 28, 2026 5 min read

Rate Limiting in APIs Explained

Learn how API rate limiting works, including fixed windows, sliding windows, token buckets, 429 responses, headers, and backend tradeoffs.

API Design Apr 5, 2026 5 min read

Pagination Strategies for REST APIs

Compare offset, cursor, and keyset pagination for REST APIs, including tradeoffs, response shapes, sorting, and backend performance.

API Design Mar 29, 2026 6 min read

Idempotency in APIs Explained

Learn what idempotency means in API design, why retries create duplicate actions, and how idempotency keys protect backend workflows.

API Design Mar 22, 2026 5 min read

REST API Status Codes Explained

Understand the HTTP status codes backend developers use most often in REST APIs, including 200, 201, 400, 401, 404, 409, and 500.