API Essentials

Question 1

API Essential include:

Answer 1

1. API Documentation
2. API Calls
3. HTTP Methods & Endpoints
4. Request & Responses
5. Payloads
6. Response Codes
7. Authentication
8. Headers & ReST

Question 2

API Documentation:

Answer 2

Understanding how to create and maintain comprehensive documentation for APIs. This includes information about endpoints, methods, parameters, and response formats, providing clear guidance to developers on how to use the API.

Question 3

API Calls:

Answer 3

Knowledge of how to make requests to an API. This involves understanding the syntax and structure of API calls, including specifying endpoints, methods, and any required parameters.

Question 4

HTTP Methods and Endpoints:

Answer 4

Familiarity with various HTTP methods (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and knowledge of API endpoints. Different methods are used for different operations, and endpoints define specific resources or actions within the API.

Question 5

Requests and Responses:

Answer 5

Understanding the format and content of API requests sent by clients to servers and the corresponding responses from servers to clients. This includes knowing how to structure requests and interpret responses.

Question 6

Payloads:

Answer 6

Knowledge of data formats and structures used to transmit information between the client and server. This may involve understanding JSON or XML payloads and how to include data in API requests and responses.

Question 7

Response Codes:

Answer 7

Understanding the meaning of HTTP status codes returned by the server in response to a client’s request. This includes recognizing success (2xx), redirection (3xx), client error (4xx), and server error (5xx) codes.

Question 8

Authentication:

Answer 8

Knowing the various methods and techniques for securing API access, such as API keys, OAuth tokens, or other authentication mechanisms. This is crucial for ensuring that only authorized users can interact with the API.

Question 9

Headers and ReST:

Answer 9

Understanding HTTP headers, which carry additional information about the request or response. Also, familiarity with REST (Representational State Transfer) principles, which guide the design and architecture of many APIs, emphasizing stateless communication and resource-oriented URLs.