Must Know API Structure for Web Developers (with example)

Web 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

• ByteByteGo API Architectural Styles
• PokéAPI GraphQL Documentation
• GraphQL APIs

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!