• Oct 30, 2023
• Rule #0: DON'T get pedantic
• Rule #1: DO use plural nouns for collections
• Rule #2: DON'T add unnecessary path segments
• Rule #3: DON'T add .json or other extensions to the url
• Rule #4: DON'T return arrays as top level responses
• Rule #5: DON'T return map structures
• Exception to the no-map rule
• Rule #6: DO use strings for all identifiers
• Rule #7: DO prefix your identifiers
• Rule #8: DON'T use 404 to indicate "not found"
• Rule #9: BE consistent
• Rule #10: DO use a structured error format
• Rule #11: DO provide idempotence mechanisms
• A Brief Primer On Idempotence
• Good option: An "idempotency key" or "client reference ID"
• Good option: Let the client pick IDs
• Crappy option: Provide an endpoint to list recent transactions
• When a conflict occurs...
• Return an error
• Return the earlier response
• TL;DR
• Rule #12: DO use ISO8601 strings for timestamps
• Rule #12a: Use ISO8601 for all date/time-related values
• Rule #12b: DON'T trust your language/platform defaults
• Conclusion