How can you select the best HTTP methods, status codes, and media types for your RESTful APIs?

1 HTTP Methods

HTTP methods are verbs that indicate the action a client wants to perform on a server. The most common HTTP methods for RESTful APIs are GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. Each method has a specific purpose and should be used accordingly. For example, GET is used to retrieve a representation of a resource or collection of resources and is safe and idempotent. POST is used to create a new resource or sub-resource and is neither safe nor idempotent. PUT is used to update or replace an existing resource or collection of resources and is idempotent but not safe. PATCH is used to apply a partial update to an existing resource or collection of resources and follows the JSON Patch format (RFC 6902) or the JSON Merge Patch format (RFC 7386). Finally, DELETE is used to delete an existing resource or collection of resources and is idempotent but not safe. Reporting and documenting the incident will help inform and reassure stakeholders, as well as provide valuable insights for improving cloud security posture.

2 HTTP Status Codes

HTTP status codes are the numbers that indicate the result of the server's processing of the client's request. Grouped into five categories, each has a specific meaning and purpose. 1xx (informational) is rarely used in RESTful APIs, and you should avoid it unless you have a specific reason to do so. 2xx (success) is used to indicate that the server has successfully completed the request and is returning a representation of the resource or a collection of resources. The most common 2xx status codes for RESTful APIs are 200 OK, 201 Created, 202 Accepted, and 204 No Content. 3xx (redirection) is rarely used in RESTful APIs, and you should avoid it unless you have a specific reason to do so. The most common 3xx status code for RESTful APIs is 303 See Other, which can be used to redirect the client to a different resource after a POST request. 4xx (client error) is used to indicate that the client has made an error in the request and the server cannot or will not process it. The most common 4xx status codes for RESTful APIs are 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, and 409 Conflict. 5xx (server error) is used to indicate that the server has encountered an error in processing the request and cannot fulfill it. The most common 5xx status codes for RESTful APIs are 500 Internal Server Error, 501 Not Implemented, and 503 Service Unavailable. When using these codes, you should provide detailed error messages and codes that can help the client identify or report problems as well as understand server limitations or temporary issues.

3 Media Types

Media types, also known as MIME types or Content-Types, are identifiers that specify the format and structure of the data that is exchanged between the client and the server. They consist of a type and a subtype separated by a slash. To ensure compatibility and user-friendliness, media types should be used according to the following guidelines. Whenever possible, use standard media types defined by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Examples of standard media types for RESTful APIs are application/json, application/xml, application/pdf, image/jpeg, and text/plain. Custom media types should only be used when necessary; they are usually prefixed with a vendor name or a domain name. The Accept and Content-Type headers should be used to negotiate the media types. Quality factors (q-values) can also be used to specify preferences and priorities for the media types. The server should use the Vary header to indicate that the response may vary based on the Accept header. By following these best practices and tips, you can select the best HTTP methods, status codes, and media types for your RESTful APIs.