API Design Jul 26, 2026 10 min read
Cache-Control Explained for APIs
Choose safe API caching policies with max-age, s-maxage, private, no-cache, no-store, revalidation, and practical Java and Node.js recipes.
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API Design
30 articles with this tag. Follow these related notes when you want a narrower study path.
API Design Jul 26, 2026 10 min read
HTTP Cache Headers Explained
Understand Cache-Control, Age, Expires, Vary, freshness, validation, and browser versus shared cache behavior with Java and Node.js examples.
API Design Jul 18, 2026 10 min read
API Rate Limit Headers Explained
Learn how API rate limit headers communicate quotas, remaining capacity, retry timing, and client behavior across current and legacy formats.
API Design Jul 18, 2026 11 min read
API Deprecation Headers Explained
Use RFC 9745 Deprecation, deprecation links, and Sunset headers to communicate API lifecycle dates, migration guidance, and removal plans.
API Design Jul 18, 2026 7 min read
Cursor Pagination Examples for REST APIs
Build cursor pagination with stable sorting, keyset SQL, opaque signed tokens, filter binding, error handling, and Java and Node.js implementations.
API Design Jul 18, 2026 11 min read
Problem Details for HTTP APIs (RFC 9457)
Design RFC 9457 problem details for HTTP APIs with stable type URIs, safe extensions, validation errors, Spring Boot, and Node.js examples.
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 5 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 5 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 5 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 5 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.