9 Common REST API Interview Questions

🔑REST APIs are stateless, meaning the client's state is not stored on the server. Each request must contain all necessary information.

💻RESTful web services use common HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE for different operations.

🔢HTTP status codes are used in RESTful web services to indicate the success or failure of a request and response.

🌐URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) identify every resource in the REST architecture, using URN or URL formats.

🔒REST and SOAP have different levels of flexibility and strictness, with SOAP supporting only XML and being more regulated.

What is the meaning of statelessness in REST APIs?

—Statelessness in REST APIs means that the client's state is not stored on the server. Each request must contain all necessary information.

What are the common HTTP methods used in RESTful web services?

—The common HTTP methods used in RESTful web services are GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, which correspond to CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete).

What are HTTP status codes used for in RESTful web services?

—HTTP status codes are used to indicate the success or failure of a request and response in RESTful web services. For example, a 200 code represents a successful request and response.

What is the difference between REST and SOAP?

—REST and SOAP are different architectures for handling web services. REST is more flexible and supports multiple data transfer formats, while SOAP is stricter, supports only XML, and is used in cases requiring regulated and stable data transfer.

What are some tools used to develop and test REST APIs?

—Some commonly used tools for developing and testing REST APIs include Postman, which helps ensure resource delivery and API performance, and language-specific frameworks like Express for Node.js.

00:00This video covers nine common REST API interview questions and their answers.

00:18REST APIs are stateless, meaning the client's state is not stored on the server.

01:41The common HTTP methods used in RESTful web services are GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.

02:12HTTP status codes indicate the success or failure of a request and response in RESTful web services.

02:34URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) identify every resource in the REST architecture, using URN or URL formats.

03:31REST and SOAP are different architectures, with REST being more flexible and supporting multiple data transfer formats.

04:19AJAX refers to asynchronous web technologies, while REST API is an architecture for handling HTTP requests.

05:00Tools like Postman and language-specific frameworks are commonly used to develop and test REST APIs.