What are the top HTML scripting best practices for APIs?

1 Use HTTPS

The first and most important best practice for HTML scripting with APIs is to use HTTPS, or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTPS is a protocol that encrypts the data sent and received between your browser and the server, preventing attackers from intercepting, modifying, or stealing sensitive information. HTTPS also ensures that you are connecting to the authentic source of the API, and not a fake or malicious one. To use HTTPS, you need to obtain a valid SSL certificate for your domain, and configure your server to accept HTTPS requests. You can also use tools like Let's Encrypt or Cloudflare to get free SSL certificates and HTTPS support.

2 Validate inputs and outputs

Another crucial best practice for HTML scripting with APIs is to validate both the inputs and outputs of your API calls. Validating inputs means checking that the data you send to the API is in the correct format, type, and range, and that it does not contain any malicious or invalid characters. Validating outputs means checking that the data you receive from the API is also in the correct format, type, and range, and that it does not contain any errors or unexpected values. Validating inputs and outputs helps you avoid bugs, crashes, and security vulnerabilities in your code. You can use built-in HTML attributes, such as type, pattern, min, max, required, or custom JavaScript functions to validate inputs. You can use JSON.parse(), try-catch blocks, or other JavaScript methods to validate outputs.

3 Use CORS

CORS, or Cross-Origin Resource Sharing, is a mechanism that allows you to make requests to APIs that are hosted on different domains than your web page. This is useful when you want to access data or services from third-party APIs, such as Google Maps, Twitter, or Spotify. However, CORS also poses some security risks, as it can expose your web page to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, where malicious code is injected into your web page by another domain. To prevent this, you need to use CORS properly, and follow some guidelines. First, you need to make sure that the API you are requesting supports CORS, and that it only allows requests from trusted origins. Second, you need to use the appropriate HTTP methods, headers, and credentials for your CORS requests. Third, you need to handle CORS errors gracefully, and display appropriate messages to your users.

4 Use async and await

One of the benefits of HTML scripting with APIs is that you can make asynchronous requests, meaning that you can send and receive data without blocking the rest of your code execution. This improves the performance and user experience of your web page or application, as it does not freeze or lag while waiting for the API response. However, to make asynchronous requests, you need to use the right syntax and keywords, such as async and await. Async and await are modern JavaScript features that make it easier to write and read asynchronous code, without using callbacks, promises, or other complex methods. Async and await allow you to write asynchronous code as if it was synchronous, and handle errors and results more elegantly. To use async and await, you need to declare your function as async, and use the await keyword before any API call that returns a promise.

5 Use cache and localStorage

The last best practice for HTML scripting with APIs is to use cache and localStorage to store and retrieve data locally. Cache and localStorage are web storage mechanisms that allow you to save data on the browser, and access it later, even offline. This can improve the speed and efficiency of your web page or application, as it reduces the number of API calls you need to make, and saves bandwidth and resources. Cache and localStorage are also useful for enhancing the user experience, as they can preserve the user preferences, settings, or progress across sessions. To use cache and localStorage, you need to use the Cache API or the localStorage object in your JavaScript code, and follow some rules. First, you need to check the availability and size of the storage, and handle any errors or limitations. Second, you need to use unique and descriptive keys for your data, and avoid storing sensitive or redundant data. Third, you need to update and delete your data when necessary, and avoid stale or outdated data.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?