Must Know API Structure for Web Developers (with example)
Jan 17, 2025 pm 06:32 PMWeb Development API Styles: A Practical Overview
Inter-service API calls are fundamental to web development. This guide explores several common API architectural styles with practical examples.
RESTful APIs
REST (Representational State Transfer) is the most prevalent API style. Its simplicity—making an HTTP request to access a resource—makes it beginner-friendly.
This example demonstrates displaying GitHub emojis in your browser using a RESTful API:
WebSockets
For server-to-client message pushing, WebSockets are ideal. They enable persistent, bidirectional communication.
This example sends a message to echo.websocket.org, which echoes it back:
GraphQL APIs
GraphQL resembles REST but offers client-side customization of the response data structure.
This example retrieves specific Pokémon data (ID, height, weight, base happiness, and capture rate) based on the Pokémon's name. Modify the query to retrieve additional fields.
Webhooks
Webhooks facilitate event-driven communication. When an event triggers, the webhook service sends an HTTP POST request to a predefined URL. This is commonly used in CI/CD pipelines and even powers GitHub bots.
This example uses smee.io for webhook redirection. While the sender and receiver are in the same application for demonstration, in real-world scenarios, they reside on separate servers. The trigger endpoint sends a message to smee.io, which forwards it to the receiving endpoint. You can modify the message by forking the sandbox.
API Style Comparison
API Style | Architecture Style | Data Format | Communication Workflow |
---|---|---|---|
RESTful | HTTP-based, standard HTTP methods | JSON, XML | Client requests; server responds. |
WebSockets | Bidirectional, persistent connection | Text, Binary | Client and server establish a persistent connection for real-time communication. |
GraphQL | Query language, client-defined response | JSON | Client sends a query; server returns the specified data. |
Webhook | Event-driven, server initiates request | JSON | Event triggers server to send an HTTP request to a client-defined URL. |
Further Reading
The above is the detailed content of Must Know API Structure for Web Developers (with example). For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Hot AI Tools

Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free

Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Article

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

Hot Topics

Java and JavaScript are different programming languages, each suitable for different application scenarios. Java is used for large enterprise and mobile application development, while JavaScript is mainly used for web page development.

JavaScriptcommentsareessentialformaintaining,reading,andguidingcodeexecution.1)Single-linecommentsareusedforquickexplanations.2)Multi-linecommentsexplaincomplexlogicorprovidedetaileddocumentation.3)Inlinecommentsclarifyspecificpartsofcode.Bestpractic

The following points should be noted when processing dates and time in JavaScript: 1. There are many ways to create Date objects. It is recommended to use ISO format strings to ensure compatibility; 2. Get and set time information can be obtained and set methods, and note that the month starts from 0; 3. Manually formatting dates requires strings, and third-party libraries can also be used; 4. It is recommended to use libraries that support time zones, such as Luxon. Mastering these key points can effectively avoid common mistakes.

PlacingtagsatthebottomofablogpostorwebpageservespracticalpurposesforSEO,userexperience,anddesign.1.IthelpswithSEObyallowingsearchenginestoaccesskeyword-relevanttagswithoutclutteringthemaincontent.2.Itimprovesuserexperiencebykeepingthefocusonthearticl

JavaScriptispreferredforwebdevelopment,whileJavaisbetterforlarge-scalebackendsystemsandAndroidapps.1)JavaScriptexcelsincreatinginteractivewebexperienceswithitsdynamicnatureandDOMmanipulation.2)Javaoffersstrongtypingandobject-orientedfeatures,idealfor

JavaScripthassevenfundamentaldatatypes:number,string,boolean,undefined,null,object,andsymbol.1)Numbersuseadouble-precisionformat,usefulforwidevaluerangesbutbecautiouswithfloating-pointarithmetic.2)Stringsareimmutable,useefficientconcatenationmethodsf

Event capture and bubble are two stages of event propagation in DOM. Capture is from the top layer to the target element, and bubble is from the target element to the top layer. 1. Event capture is implemented by setting the useCapture parameter of addEventListener to true; 2. Event bubble is the default behavior, useCapture is set to false or omitted; 3. Event propagation can be used to prevent event propagation; 4. Event bubbling supports event delegation to improve dynamic content processing efficiency; 5. Capture can be used to intercept events in advance, such as logging or error processing. Understanding these two phases helps to accurately control the timing and how JavaScript responds to user operations.

Java and JavaScript are different programming languages. 1.Java is a statically typed and compiled language, suitable for enterprise applications and large systems. 2. JavaScript is a dynamic type and interpreted language, mainly used for web interaction and front-end development.
