Master API Development

Course Outline

This course provides a comprehensive pathway from basic understanding to advanced mastery of APIs, catering to learners at all levels.

Module 1: Understanding APIs

  • Lesson 1: What is an API?
    • Definition and purpose
    • Real-world examples
  • Lesson 2: Types of APIs
    • REST
    • SOAP
    • GraphQL
  • Lesson 3: How APIs Work
    • Request/response cycle
    • API endpoints and methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

Module 2: API Basics

  • Lesson 4: API Components
    • Headers, parameters, and body
    • Status codes and error handling
  • Lesson 5: Getting Started with Postman
    • Setting up Postman
    • Making your first API request

Module 3: Simple API Integration

  • Lesson 6: Using Public APIs
    • Finding and exploring public APIs (e.g., JSONPlaceholder, OpenWeatherMap)
  • Lesson 7: Building Your First API Client
    • Creating a simple web application that consumes an API
    • Displaying API data in a user-friendly way
  • Practical Exercise
    • Create a simple web app that fetches and displays data from a public API

Module 4: Deep Dive into REST APIs

  • Lesson 8: Understanding RESTful Principles
    • Statelessness
    • Caching
    • Client-server architecture
  • Lesson 9: Authentication Methods
    • API keys
    • OAuth 2.0
    • JWT (JSON Web Tokens)

Module 5: API Documentation and Testing

  • Lesson 10: Writing API Documentation
    • Importance of good documentation
    • Tools for documenting APIs (Swagger/OpenAPI)
  • Lesson 11: Testing APIs
    • Automated testing using Postman
    • Introduction to testing frameworks (e.g., Jest, Mocha)

Module 6: Building Your Own API

  • Lesson 12: Creating a RESTful API
    • Setting up a server (Node.js with Express, Flask, etc.)
    • Designing endpoints and handling requests
  • Lesson 13: Database Integration
    • Connecting your API to a database (e.g., MongoDB, PostgreSQL)
    • Performing CRUD operations
  • Practical Exercise
    • Build a simple RESTful API that manages a resource (e.g., books, users) and create documentation for it

Module 7: Advanced API Concepts

  • Lesson 14: GraphQL vs. REST
    • Understanding the differences
    • When to use GraphQL
  • Lesson 15: Versioning and Deprecation
    • API versioning strategies
    • Handling deprecated APIs

Module 8: Securing APIs

  • Lesson 16: Advanced Authentication
    • OAuth 2.0 deep dive
    • API security best practices (CORS, rate limiting, throttling)
  • Lesson 17: Error Handling and Logging
    • Standardizing error responses
    • Implementing logging and monitoring (e.g., using tools like Sentry)

Module 9: API Performance Optimization

  • Lesson 18: Caching Strategies
    • Client-side and server-side caching
    • Using CDNs (Content Delivery Networks)
  • Lesson 19: Rate Limiting and Performance Testing
    • Techniques for rate limiting
    • Load testing APIs with tools like Apache JMeter or k6

Module 10: API Gateway and Microservices

  • Lesson 20: Introduction to API Gateways
    • Role of API gateways in microservices architecture
    • Popular API gateway solutions (Kong, AWS API Gateway)
  • Lesson 21: Microservices and APIs
    • Designing APIs for a microservices architecture
    • Communication patterns between services
  • Capstone Project
    • Design and implement a complete API-driven application, including the front end and back end, utilizing advanced concepts such as authentication, documentation, and performance optimization