REST API 101
A comprehensive series on building, securing, and deploying REST APIs using Express.js and TypeScript, based on real production experience.
What You'll Learn
This series covers everything from HTTP fundamentals to production deployment, using real examples from TypeScript microservices handling millions of requests daily.
Topics covered:
REST principles and HTTP protocol
API design patterns and best practices
Building APIs with Express.js and TypeScript
Authentication and authorization (JWT, RBAC)
Error handling and input validation
API documentation with Swagger/OpenAPI
Versioning strategies
Testing (unit, integration, load testing)
Performance optimization
Production deployment with Docker and CI/CD
Who Is This For?
Backend developers learning REST API development
Frontend developers wanting to understand backend APIs
Full-stack developers building complete applications
DevOps engineers deploying API services
Anyone building production microservices
Prerequisites
Basic JavaScript/TypeScript knowledge
Understanding of Node.js basics
Familiarity with command line
Basic understanding of HTTP
Technology Stack
This series uses a modern, production-ready stack:
Core:
TypeScript 5.x - Type-safe development
Node.js 20+ - Runtime environment
Express.js 4.x - Web framework
Database:
PostgreSQL 15 - Primary database
Redis 7 - Caching layer
Authentication:
JWT (jsonwebtoken) - Stateless authentication
bcrypt - Password hashing
Validation & Documentation:
Zod - Runtime type validation
Swagger/OpenAPI - API documentation
Testing:
Jest - Unit testing
Supertest - API testing
Testcontainers - Integration testing
k6 - Load testing
Deployment:
Docker - Containerization
Docker Compose - Local development
GitHub Actions - CI/CD
Series Outline
Learn REST principles and HTTP protocol fundamentals:
What is REST?
HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
HTTP status codes (2xx, 4xx, 5xx)
HTTP headers
REST architectural constraints
Pros and cons of REST APIs
Common use cases
What you'll build: Understanding of REST principles and when to use them
Master API design patterns used in production:
Resource naming conventions
URL structure best practices
Hierarchical relationships
Query parameters (filtering, sorting, pagination)
Idempotency
PUT vs PATCH
Response format consistency
HATEOAS principles
What you'll build: Well-designed API structure
Build a complete REST API from scratch:
Project setup and structure
TypeScript configuration
Layered architecture (routes, controllers, services, repositories)
Database integration with PostgreSQL
Environment configuration
Dependency injection
Error handling middleware
Response formatting
What you'll build: Production-ready user management API
Secure your API with proper auth mechanisms:
Authentication vs Authorization
JWT implementation
Password hashing with bcrypt
Login and registration flows
Token validation middleware
Role-based access control (RBAC)
Permission-based authorization
Refresh tokens
Token revocation
What you'll build: Secure API with JWT authentication and role-based authorization
Build robust APIs that handle failures gracefully:
Input validation with Zod
Schema definition and type inference
Validation middleware
Custom error classes
Global error handler
Rate limiting
Request sanitization
Error logging
Production vs development error responses
What you'll build: Bulletproof API with comprehensive validation and error handling
Make your API discoverable and maintainable:
Swagger/OpenAPI documentation
Automated documentation generation
Interactive API documentation
Versioning strategies (URL path, headers, query params)
Breaking changes and deprecation
Changelog maintenance
Migration strategies
Client SDK generation
What you'll build: Well-documented, versioned API
Ensure quality and deploy with confidence:
Testing pyramid (unit, integration, E2E)
Unit testing with Jest
Integration testing with Testcontainers
Load testing with k6
Database optimization and indexing
Caching with Redis
Docker containerization
CI/CD with GitHub Actions
Health checks
Monitoring with Prometheus
Zero-downtime deployments
What you'll build: Fully tested, optimized, and production-ready API
Project Structure
The complete project follows this structure:
Key Principles
Throughout this series, we follow these production-ready principles:
Type Safety: TypeScript for catching errors at compile time
Separation of Concerns: Layered architecture (routes → controllers → services → repositories)
Single Responsibility: Each module does one thing well
Dependency Injection: Testable, maintainable code
Fail Fast: Validate early, fail gracefully
Security First: Authentication, authorization, input sanitization
Observable: Logging, monitoring, health checks
Testable: Unit, integration, and load tests
Documented: Clear API documentation
Scalable: Designed for horizontal scaling
Real-World Insights
Each article includes:
✅ Production patterns used in real microservices
✅ Common mistakes and how to avoid them
✅ Performance considerations from actual metrics
✅ Security best practices from security audits
✅ Debugging tips from production incidents
Getting Started
Read in order - Each part builds on previous knowledge
Code along - Type out examples instead of copy-pasting
Experiment - Modify examples to understand concepts
Test everything - Run tests to verify understanding
Ask questions - Concepts unclear? Research further
What Makes REST APIs Still Relevant?
In 2026, despite GraphQL and gRPC alternatives, REST APIs remain the standard for:
Public APIs - Universal HTTP support
Mobile apps - Simple, cacheable
Microservices - Language-agnostic
Web applications - Browser-native
Third-party integrations - Well-understood pattern
After This Series
You'll be able to:
✅ Build production-ready REST APIs from scratch
✅ Implement proper authentication and authorization
✅ Handle errors and validate input robustly
✅ Document APIs professionally
✅ Test APIs comprehensively
✅ Optimize for performance
✅ Deploy to production with confidence
✅ Debug and monitor production APIs
Next Steps After Completion
Advanced topics: WebSockets, Server-Sent Events
Alternative approaches: GraphQL, gRPC
Microservices: Service mesh, API gateway
Advanced auth: OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect
Observability: Distributed tracing, APM
Start Learning
Begin with Part 1: Introduction to REST APIs and HTTP Fundamentals
Building REST APIs is both an art and a science. This series teaches you both, based on real production experience.
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