Best Practices for Naming API Endpoints: A Comprehensive Guide

Creating clean and intuitive API endpoints is crucial for developers who want to build well-structured, scalable, and user-friendly APIs. Proper naming conventions for API endpoints ensure consistency, making your API easier to use, maintain, and extend. In this guide, we’ll discuss best practices for naming API endpoints, with examples and tips to improve your API’s usability.

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Overview

Section	Description
📝 Why API Endpoint Naming is Important	Understand the importance of clear and consistent API endpoint names.
📚 Use Nouns, Not Verbs	Learn why nouns are preferred over verbs in API naming.
👥 Use Plural Nouns for Collections	Make sure to use plural nouns for clarity when working with collections.
🗂 Utilize a Hierarchical Structure	Create logical hierarchies in your API endpoints to reflect parent-child relationships.
🔄 Consistent Naming Conventions	Stick to a single naming convention like snake_case or kebab-case for consistency.
🚫 Avoid Action Words in URLs	Avoid verbs in the URL and let HTTP methods dictate actions.
🆔 Proper Use of Resource Identifiers	Use unique identifiers for specific resources to avoid confusion.
🚧 Limit Deep Nesting in URLs	Keep your URLs simple and avoid deep nesting for better usability.
🔍 Leverage Query Parameters	Use query parameters for filtering, sorting, and pagination.
🆕 Versioning Your API	Learn the importance of including version numbers in API endpoints.
➖ Enhance Readability with Hyphens	Improve readability by using hyphens in multi-word URLs.
⚙️ Using the Correct HTTP Methods	Ensure you’re using the correct HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
1️⃣ Singular or Plural for Single Resources	Decide when to use singular or plural naming for individual resources.
💻 Code Example: Best Practices in Action	See an example that integrates all the best practices for API endpoint naming.
🚀 Conclusion	Summarize the importance of clean and consistent API endpoint naming for better developer experience.

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1. Why API Endpoint Naming is Important

Naming your API endpoints properly is essential for API design that’s easy to understand and use. A well-named API makes it intuitive for developers to interact with, improves readability, and prevents common errors. APIs with inconsistent or poorly named endpoints can be confusing, leading to issues during integration and maintenance.

2. Use Nouns, Not Verbs in API Endpoints

When naming RESTful API endpoints, always use nouns to represent the resources, not verbs. The action being performed on the resource should be indicated by the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), not the endpoint name itself.

Bad Example:

GET /getUserDetails
POST /createOrder

Good Example:

GET /users
POST /orders

3. Use Plural Nouns for Collections

Always use plural nouns when naming API endpoints that return collections of resources. This helps ensure clarity and consistency.

Bad Example:

GET /user
POST /order

Good Example:

GET /users
POST /orders

4. Utilize a Hierarchical Structure for Nested Resources

When designing your API to handle relationships between resources, use a hierarchical URL structure that clearly shows the relationship between parent and child resources.

Example:

GET /users/{userId}/orders

This URL structure makes it clear that you are retrieving orders for a specific user.

5. Choose Consistent Naming Conventions

Choose one naming convention and use it consistently across your API. The two most common formats are:

• snake_case: Words are separated by underscores (_).
• kebab-case: Words are separated by hyphens (-).

Example (Consistent kebab-case):

GET /user-profiles
POST /user-profiles

6. Avoid Action Words in URLs

Avoid embedding action verbs (like “get” or “create”) in your URL paths. Let the HTTP method define the action being performed on the resource.

Bad Example:

POST /createUser
DELETE /deleteOrder

Good Example:

POST /users
DELETE /orders/{orderId}

7. Proper Use of Resource Identifiers

When accessing individual resources, use unique resource identifiers (IDs) in the URL. This provides clarity and allows you to modify or fetch specific items.

Example:

GET /users/{userId}
PUT /orders/{orderId}
DELETE /products/{productId}

8. Limit Deep Nesting in API URLs

Avoid overly deep or complex URL structures in your API, as they can be confusing and hard to maintain. Keep it to a maximum of two or three levels.

Bad Example:

GET /users/{userId}/orders/{orderId}/items/{itemId}/reviews

Good Example:

GET /orders/{orderId}/reviews

9. Leverage Query Parameters for Filtering, Sorting, and Pagination

To filter, sort, or paginate data, use query parameters instead of adding complexity to the URL path. This makes the API more flexible and readable.

Example:

GET /users?role=admin
GET /products?category=electronics&sort=price_asc&page=2&limit=20

10. Versioning Your API Endpoints

Including a version number in your API endpoint URLs helps ensure backward compatibility. This allows developers to upgrade their applications without breaking existing functionality.

Example:

GET /v1/users
POST /v1/orders

11. Enhance Readability with Hyphens

Using hyphens in API endpoint names enhances readability, especially when the endpoint name contains multiple words.

Bad Example:

GET /userProfiles

Good Example:

GET /user-profiles

12. Using the Correct HTTP Methods

Use the correct HTTP methods to define the actions performed on resources:

• GET: Retrieve data
• POST: Create new data
• PUT: Update existing data
• PATCH: Partially update existing data
• DELETE: Remove data

Example:

GET /users
POST /users
PUT /users/{userId}
PATCH /users/{userId}
DELETE /users/{userId}

13. Singular or Plural Naming for Single Resources

While it’s common to use plural nouns for collections of resources, for single resource retrieval or modification, the name can be singular or plural, but consistency is key.

Example:

GET /users/{userId}   // Retrieve a specific user

14. Code Example: Best Practices in Action

Here’s a consolidated example of API naming best practices:

Example API Endpoints:

GET /v1/users                # Retrieve all users
GET /v1/users/{userId}        # Retrieve a specific user
POST /v1/users               # Create a new user
PUT /v1/users/{userId}        # Update a user by ID
DELETE /v1/users/{userId}     # Delete a user by ID

GET /v1/orders                # Retrieve all orders
GET /v1/users/{userId}/orders # Retrieve orders for a specific user
POST /v1/orders               # Create a new order
PUT /v1/orders/{orderId}      # Update an order by ID
DELETE /v1/orders/{orderId}   # Delete an order by ID

GET /v1/products              # Retrieve all products
GET /v1/products?category=electronics&sort=price_asc  # Filter and sort products
POST /v1/products             # Create a new product

15. Conclusion

By following these best practices for naming API endpoints, you can improve the developer experience and make your API more intuitive and easy to use. Consistency in naming conventions, appropriate use of HTTP methods, and structuring endpoints logically will not only benefit your team but also third-party developers integrating with your API. Whether you’re building an internal service or a public API, applying these principles ensures scalability and ease of maintenance.