How to Build an API

In this episode, Scott and Wes talk about creating APIs — what’s happening behind the scenes and why it’s important.

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Show Notes

2:15 - How do you build an API from scratch?

3:54 - Choose an API type

• REST
• GraphQL

8:15 - Setup some sort of server that will accept requests and send responses

• Express
• Koa
• Meteor

11:11 - Document the endpoints

• What is the end point
• What parameters are required
  • Filters
  • Sorting
• Headers required
• What you get back when you hit this endpoint
• Any request limits
• Examples in common languages
  • JS
  • PHP
  • Ruby

21:20 - Naming

• Make it obvious

27:39 - Securing

• Only accept requests from logged-in users
  • oAuth
  • Cookie/Session
  • jwt
• API key
• CORS
• Check roles - access level
• Syntax 055: Hasty Treat - User Role Systems

32:42 - Protecting

• Rate limit
• Whitelist / blacklist
• Cloudflare

36:00 - Write resolvers

• Modify data if needed
• Send back the data requested
• Send back the correct HTTP code
• Log what happened

37:56 - Tools

• Postman
• Swagger

Links

• Stripe

××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ×××

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• Wes: Solar Lights

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