Summary

In this chapter, we described how the basics of API design are to create a set of useful abstractions that allow users to perform actions without having to care about the internal details. This led to describing how to define an API with resources and actions.

This definition of an API has evolved to cover RESTful interfaces that follow certain properties that make them very interesting for web server design. We described a bunch of useful standards and techniques when designing RESTful interfaces to create consistent and complete interfaces, including the OpenAPI tools. We went through authentication details as it's a very important element for APIs.

Remember that extra care should be advised when securing APIs that have external usage. We went through some general ideas and common strategies, but note that this book does not focus on security. This is a critical aspect of the design of any API and should be done carefully.

We covered the ideas...