Let’s go step-by-step So First ALL ABOUT API👇
🧩 1️⃣ What is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface.
It is a set of rules and endpoints that allows two applications or systems to communicate with each other.
Think of it as a messenger between two programs:
- You send a request → API delivers it to another system
- That system processes it → API brings back the response
💡 Example
- When your mobile app shows today’s weather — it calls a Weather API.
- When you log in using Google — the app calls Google’s Authentication API.
- When your Python code fetches stock prices — it calls a Finance API.
⚙️ 2️⃣ Use Cases of APIs
| Use Case | Description |
|---|---|
| Web Applications | Frontend (React) communicates with backend (FastAPI/Django) |
| Mobile Apps | Android/iOS apps fetch data from backend via APIs |
| Data Integration | Connect different systems — e.g., CRM ↔ ERP |
| Automation | Trigger jobs, send notifications, update records |
| AI/ML | Access models like OpenAI GPT, Hugging Face via API |
| Cloud Services | AWS, Azure, GCP — all operations exposed via APIs |
🌐 3️⃣ What is a RESTful API?
REST (Representational State Transfer) is a style or design pattern for building APIs.
A RESTful API is simply an API that follows REST principles.
Let’s break down Representational State Transfer (REST) — the full form of RESTful API — word by word to understand what each means and why it matters 👇
🧩 1️⃣ Representational
- Meaning: The way a resource (like a piece of data) is represented when it is transferred between client and server.
- Example:
Suppose you request a user profile from a REST API.- The resource = the user profile
- The representation could be in JSON, XML, HTML, or even plain text.
- So, the server sends a representation of the resource — not the resource itself.
🧠 Think: “I don’t send you the database row; I send you a representation (like JSON) of it.”
🔁 2️⃣ State
- Meaning: The state refers to the data or condition of the resource at a specific time.
- REST is stateless, meaning:
- The server does not store any client context between requests.
- Each request from the client must contain all necessary information (like authentication tokens, parameters, etc.) for the server to understand and respond.
📌 Example:
- If you log in and fetch your account details, every request you send must include your authentication token — the server doesn’t “remember” you.
🧠 Think: “Each request carries its own state information.”
🚚 3️⃣ Transfer
- Meaning: The movement or exchange of data between the client and server using standard HTTP methods.
- Common HTTP verbs (methods):
- GET → Retrieve data
- POST → Create data
- PUT → Update/replace data
- PATCH → Partially update data
- DELETE → Remove data
🧠 Think: “Transfer the representation of a resource’s state over HTTP.”
🧠 Putting It All Together
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Representational | Data format used to represent the resource | JSON, XML |
| State | Current condition of that resource | { "id": 1, "name": "Rajeev" } |
| Transfer | Moving that data between client & server | HTTP request/response |
🔄 Simple Analogy
Imagine you order pizza online 🍕
- The resource is the pizza itself.
- The representation is the image or order details (like JSON data).
- The state is the order status (ordered, baking, delivered).
- The transfer is when this info moves between your app (client) and the restaurant server (API).
🔸 Key REST Principles
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Stateless | Each request is independent — server doesn’t store session data |
| Client–Server | Client (frontend) and server (backend) are separate |
| Uniform Interface | Use standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) |
| Resource-based URLs | Everything is treated as a resource (/users, /products) |
| JSON format | Data is usually sent/received in JSON |
💡 Example of a RESTful API
| HTTP Method | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
GET /users | Get all users | |
GET /users/1 | Get details of user with ID 1 | |
POST /users | Create a new user | |
PUT /users/1 | Update user 1 | |
DELETE /users/1 | Delete user 1 |
🆚 Difference between API and RESTful API
| Criteria | API (Generic) | RESTful API |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any interface for system communication | Follows REST architectural principles |
| Protocol | Can be HTTP, gRPC, WebSocket, etc. | Always uses HTTP/HTTPS |
| Data Format | XML, JSON, binary, etc. | Mostly JSON |
| State | Can be stateful or stateless | Must be stateless |
| Example | SOAP API, RPC API | REST API (used in web apps, mobile, etc.) |
🐍 4️⃣ Python Modules for Creating APIs
| Framework / Library | Description | Suitable For |
|---|---|---|
| FastAPI | Modern, async, fast — supports validation, OpenAPI docs automatically | ✅ Best for new projects |
| Flask | Lightweight, simple — add routes manually | Good for small/simple APIs |
| Django REST Framework (DRF) | Part of Django — feature-rich with ORM integration | Enterprise apps |
| Bottle | Very small and simple microframework | Educational or small tasks |
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