api-design

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API Design Patterns

API设计模式

Conventions and best practices for designing consistent, developer-friendly REST APIs.
设计一致、对开发者友好的REST API的规范与最佳实践。

When to Activate

适用场景

  • Designing new API endpoints
  • Reviewing existing API contracts
  • Adding pagination, filtering, or sorting
  • Implementing error handling for APIs
  • Planning API versioning strategy
  • Building public or partner-facing APIs
  • 设计新的API端点
  • 评审现有API契约
  • 添加分页、过滤或排序功能
  • 为API实现错误处理机制
  • 规划API版本控制策略
  • 构建面向公众或合作伙伴的API

Resource Design

资源设计

URL Structure

URL结构

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Resources are nouns, plural, lowercase, kebab-case

资源使用名词、复数形式、小写字母,采用短横线分隔命名法

GET /api/v1/users GET /api/v1/users/:id POST /api/v1/users PUT /api/v1/users/:id PATCH /api/v1/users/:id DELETE /api/v1/users/:id
GET /api/v1/users GET /api/v1/users/:id POST /api/v1/users PUT /api/v1/users/:id PATCH /api/v1/users/:id DELETE /api/v1/users/:id

Sub-resources for relationships

表示关联关系的子资源

GET /api/v1/users/:id/orders POST /api/v1/users/:id/orders
GET /api/v1/users/:id/orders POST /api/v1/users/:id/orders

Actions that don't map to CRUD (use verbs sparingly)

不对应CRUD操作的动作(尽量少用动词)

POST /api/v1/orders/:id/cancel POST /api/v1/auth/login POST /api/v1/auth/refresh
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POST /api/v1/orders/:id/cancel POST /api/v1/auth/login POST /api/v1/auth/refresh
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Naming Rules

命名规则

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GOOD

规范示例

/api/v1/team-members # kebab-case for multi-word resources /api/v1/orders?status=active # query params for filtering /api/v1/users/123/orders # nested resources for ownership
/api/v1/team-members # 多词资源使用短横线分隔命名法 /api/v1/orders?status=active # 使用查询参数进行过滤 /api/v1/users/123/orders # 使用嵌套资源表示所属关系

BAD

不规范示例

/api/v1/getUsers # verb in URL /api/v1/user # singular (use plural) /api/v1/team_members # snake_case in URLs /api/v1/users/123/getOrders # verb in nested resource
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/api/v1/getUsers # URL中包含动词 /api/v1/user # 使用单数形式(应使用复数) /api/v1/team_members # URL中使用下划线分隔 /api/v1/users/123/getOrders # 嵌套资源中包含动词
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HTTP Methods and Status Codes

HTTP方法与状态码

Method Semantics

方法语义

MethodIdempotentSafeUse For
GETYesYesRetrieve resources
POSTNoNoCreate resources, trigger actions
PUTYesNoFull replacement of a resource
PATCHNo*NoPartial update of a resource
DELETEYesNoRemove a resource
*PATCH can be made idempotent with proper implementation
方法幂等性安全性适用场景
GET获取资源
POST创建资源、触发动作
PUT完全替换资源
PATCH否*部分更新资源
DELETE删除资源
*通过合理实现可使PATCH具备幂等性

Status Code Reference

状态码参考

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Success

成功响应

200 OK — GET, PUT, PATCH (with response body) 201 Created — POST (include Location header) 204 No Content — DELETE, PUT (no response body)
200 OK — GET、PUT、PATCH请求(带响应体) 201 Created — POST请求(需包含Location响应头) 204 No Content — DELETE、PUT请求(无响应体)

Client Errors

客户端错误

400 Bad Request — Validation failure, malformed JSON 401 Unauthorized — Missing or invalid authentication 403 Forbidden — Authenticated but not authorized 404 Not Found — Resource doesn't exist 409 Conflict — Duplicate entry, state conflict 422 Unprocessable Entity — Semantically invalid (valid JSON, bad data) 429 Too Many Requests — Rate limit exceeded
400 Bad Request — 验证失败、JSON格式错误 401 Unauthorized — 缺少或无效的认证信息 403 Forbidden — 已认证但无权限访问 404 Not Found — 资源不存在 409 Conflict — 重复条目、状态冲突 422 Unprocessable Entity — 语义无效(JSON格式正确但数据不合法) 429 Too Many Requests — 超出速率限制

Server Errors

服务器错误

500 Internal Server Error — Unexpected failure (never expose details) 502 Bad Gateway — Upstream service failed 503 Service Unavailable — Temporary overload, include Retry-After
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500 Internal Server Error — 意外故障(绝不能暴露细节信息) 502 Bad Gateway — 上游服务故障 503 Service Unavailable — 临时过载,需包含Retry-After响应头
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Common Mistakes

常见错误

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BAD: 200 for everything

错误示例:所有请求都返回200

{ "status": 200, "success": false, "error": "Not found" }
{ "status": 200, "success": false, "error": "Not found" }

GOOD: Use HTTP status codes semantically

正确示例:语义化使用HTTP状态码

HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found { "error": { "code": "not_found", "message": "User not found" } }
HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found { "error": { "code": "not_found", "message": "用户不存在" } }

BAD: 500 for validation errors

错误示例:验证错误返回500

GOOD: 400 or 422 with field-level details

正确示例:返回400或422并附带字段级错误详情

BAD: 200 for created resources

错误示例:创建资源后返回200

GOOD: 201 with Location header

正确示例:返回201并包含Location响应头

HTTP/1.1 201 Created Location: /api/v1/users/abc-123
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HTTP/1.1 201 Created Location: /api/v1/users/abc-123
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Response Format

响应格式

Success Response

成功响应

json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "abc-123",
    "email": "alice@example.com",
    "name": "Alice",
    "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  }
}
json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "abc-123",
    "email": "alice@example.com",
    "name": "Alice",
    "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  }
}

Collection Response (with Pagination)

集合响应(带分页)

json
{
  "data": [
    { "id": "abc-123", "name": "Alice" },
    { "id": "def-456", "name": "Bob" }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 142,
    "page": 1,
    "per_page": 20,
    "total_pages": 8
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "/api/v1/users?page=1&per_page=20",
    "next": "/api/v1/users?page=2&per_page=20",
    "last": "/api/v1/users?page=8&per_page=20"
  }
}
json
{
  "data": [
    { "id": "abc-123", "name": "Alice" },
    { "id": "def-456", "name": "Bob" }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 142,
    "page": 1,
    "per_page": 20,
    "total_pages": 8
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "/api/v1/users?page=1&per_page=20",
    "next": "/api/v1/users?page=2&per_page=20",
    "last": "/api/v1/users?page=8&per_page=20"
  }
}

Error Response

错误响应

json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "validation_error",
    "message": "Request validation failed",
    "details": [
      {
        "field": "email",
        "message": "Must be a valid email address",
        "code": "invalid_format"
      },
      {
        "field": "age",
        "message": "Must be between 0 and 150",
        "code": "out_of_range"
      }
    ]
  }
}
json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "validation_error",
    "message": "请求验证失败",
    "details": [
      {
        "field": "email",
        "message": "必须是有效的邮箱地址",
        "code": "invalid_format"
      },
      {
        "field": "age",
        "message": "必须在0到150之间",
        "code": "out_of_range"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Response Envelope Variants

响应封装变体

typescript
// Option A: Envelope with data wrapper (recommended for public APIs)
interface ApiResponse<T> {
  data: T;
  meta?: PaginationMeta;
  links?: PaginationLinks;
}

interface ApiError {
  error: {
    code: string;
    message: string;
    details?: FieldError[];
  };
}

// Option B: Flat response (simpler, common for internal APIs)
// Success: just return the resource directly
// Error: return error object
// Distinguish by HTTP status code
typescript
// 选项A:带数据包装的封装(推荐用于公开API)
interface ApiResponse<T> {
  data: T;
  meta?: PaginationMeta;
  links?: PaginationLinks;
}

interface ApiError {
  error: {
    code: string;
    message: string;
    details?: FieldError[];
  };
}

// 选项B:扁平化响应(更简洁,常用于内部API)
// 成功:直接返回资源
// 错误:返回错误对象
// 通过HTTP状态码区分结果

Pagination

分页

Offset-Based (Simple)

基于偏移量(简单型)

GET /api/v1/users?page=2&per_page=20
GET /api/v1/users?page=2&per_page=20

Implementation

实现代码

SELECT * FROM users ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20 OFFSET 20;

**Pros:** Easy to implement, supports "jump to page N"
**Cons:** Slow on large offsets (OFFSET 100000), inconsistent with concurrent inserts
SELECT * FROM users ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20 OFFSET 20;

**优点:** 易于实现,支持"跳转到第N页"
**缺点:** 偏移量较大时性能低下(如OFFSET 100000),并发插入时结果不一致

Cursor-Based (Scalable)

基于游标(可扩展型)

GET /api/v1/users?cursor=eyJpZCI6MTIzfQ&limit=20
GET /api/v1/users?cursor=eyJpZCI6MTIzfQ&limit=20

Implementation

实现代码

SELECT * FROM users WHERE id > :cursor_id ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 21; -- fetch one extra to determine has_next

```json
{
  "data": [...],
  "meta": {
    "has_next": true,
    "next_cursor": "eyJpZCI6MTQzfQ"
  }
}
Pros: Consistent performance regardless of position, stable with concurrent inserts Cons: Cannot jump to arbitrary page, cursor is opaque
SELECT * FROM users WHERE id > :cursor_id ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 21; -- 多获取一条数据以判断是否有下一页

```json
{
  "data": [...],
  "meta": {
    "has_next": true,
    "next_cursor": "eyJpZCI6MTQzfQ"
  }
}
优点: 无论数据位置如何性能一致,并发插入时结果稳定 缺点: 无法跳转到任意页面,游标为不透明格式

When to Use Which

选型建议

Use CasePagination Type
Admin dashboards, small datasets (<10K)Offset
Infinite scroll, feeds, large datasetsCursor
Public APIsCursor (default) with offset (optional)
Search resultsOffset (users expect page numbers)
适用场景分页类型
管理后台、小型数据集(<10K)偏移量分页
无限滚动、信息流、大型数据集游标分页
公开API默认使用游标分页,可选支持偏移量分页
搜索结果偏移量分页(用户期望页码跳转)

Filtering, Sorting, and Search

过滤、排序与搜索

Filtering

过滤

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Simple equality

简单等值过滤

GET /api/v1/orders?status=active&customer_id=abc-123
GET /api/v1/orders?status=active&customer_id=abc-123

Comparison operators (use bracket notation)

比较运算符(使用方括号表示)

GET /api/v1/products?price[gte]=10&price[lte]=100 GET /api/v1/orders?created_at[after]=2025-01-01
GET /api/v1/products?price[gte]=10&price[lte]=100 GET /api/v1/orders?created_at[after]=2025-01-01

Multiple values (comma-separated)

多值过滤(逗号分隔)

GET /api/v1/products?category=electronics,clothing
GET /api/v1/products?category=electronics,clothing

Nested fields (dot notation)

嵌套字段过滤(点符号表示)

GET /api/v1/orders?customer.country=US
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GET /api/v1/orders?customer.country=US
undefined

Sorting

排序

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Single field (prefix - for descending)

单字段排序(前缀-表示降序)

GET /api/v1/products?sort=-created_at
GET /api/v1/products?sort=-created_at

Multiple fields (comma-separated)

多字段排序(逗号分隔)

GET /api/v1/products?sort=-featured,price,-created_at
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GET /api/v1/products?sort=-featured,price,-created_at
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Full-Text Search

全文搜索

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Search query parameter

搜索查询参数

GET /api/v1/products?q=wireless+headphones
GET /api/v1/products?q=wireless+headphones

Field-specific search

字段专属搜索

GET /api/v1/users?email=alice
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GET /api/v1/users?email=alice
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Sparse Fieldsets

稀疏字段集

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Return only specified fields (reduces payload)

仅返回指定字段(减少响应 payload)

GET /api/v1/users?fields=id,name,email GET /api/v1/orders?fields=id,total,status&include=customer.name
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GET /api/v1/users?fields=id,name,email GET /api/v1/orders?fields=id,total,status&include=customer.name
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Authentication and Authorization

认证与授权

Token-Based Auth

基于令牌的认证

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Bearer token in Authorization header

在Authorization头中携带Bearer令牌

GET /api/v1/users Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...
GET /api/v1/users Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...

API key (for server-to-server)

API密钥(适用于服务间调用)

GET /api/v1/data X-API-Key: sk_live_abc123
undefined
GET /api/v1/data X-API-Key: sk_live_abc123
undefined

Authorization Patterns

授权模式

typescript
// Resource-level: check ownership
app.get("/api/v1/orders/:id", async (req, res) => {
  const order = await Order.findById(req.params.id);
  if (!order) return res.status(404).json({ error: { code: "not_found" } });
  if (order.userId !== req.user.id) return res.status(403).json({ error: { code: "forbidden" } });
  return res.json({ data: order });
});

// Role-based: check permissions
app.delete("/api/v1/users/:id", requireRole("admin"), async (req, res) => {
  await User.delete(req.params.id);
  return res.status(204).send();
});
typescript
// 资源级授权:检查资源归属
app.get("/api/v1/orders/:id", async (req, res) => {
  const order = await Order.findById(req.params.id);
  if (!order) return res.status(404).json({ error: { code: "not_found" } });
  if (order.userId !== req.user.id) return res.status(403).json({ error: { code: "forbidden" } });
  return res.json({ data: order });
});

// 基于角色的授权:检查权限
app.delete("/api/v1/users/:id", requireRole("admin"), async (req, res) => {
  await User.delete(req.params.id);
  return res.status(204).send();
});

Rate Limiting

速率限制

Headers

响应头

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640000000
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640000000

When exceeded

超出限制时

HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests Retry-After: 60 { "error": { "code": "rate_limit_exceeded", "message": "Rate limit exceeded. Try again in 60 seconds." } }
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HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests Retry-After: 60 { "error": { "code": "rate_limit_exceeded", "message": "超出速率限制,请60秒后重试。" } }
undefined

Rate Limit Tiers

速率限制层级

TierLimitWindowUse Case
Anonymous30/minPer IPPublic endpoints
Authenticated100/minPer userStandard API access
Premium1000/minPer API keyPaid API plans
Internal10000/minPer serviceService-to-service
层级限制额度时间窗口适用场景
匿名用户30次/分钟按IP地址公开端点
已认证用户100次/分钟按用户标准API访问
付费用户1000次/分钟按API密钥付费API套餐
内部服务10000次/分钟按服务服务间调用

Versioning

版本控制

URL Path Versioning (Recommended)

URL路径版本控制(推荐)

/api/v1/users
/api/v2/users
Pros: Explicit, easy to route, cacheable Cons: URL changes between versions
/api/v1/users
/api/v2/users
优点: 明确清晰,易于路由,可缓存 缺点: 版本变更时URL会改变

Header Versioning

请求头版本控制

GET /api/users
Accept: application/vnd.myapp.v2+json
Pros: Clean URLs Cons: Harder to test, easy to forget
GET /api/users
Accept: application/vnd.myapp.v2+json
优点: URL简洁 缺点: 测试难度大,容易遗漏

Versioning Strategy

版本控制策略

1. Start with /api/v1/ — don't version until you need to
2. Maintain at most 2 active versions (current + previous)
3. Deprecation timeline:
   - Announce deprecation (6 months notice for public APIs)
   - Add Sunset header: Sunset: Sat, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT
   - Return 410 Gone after sunset date
4. Non-breaking changes don't need a new version:
   - Adding new fields to responses
   - Adding new optional query parameters
   - Adding new endpoints
5. Breaking changes require a new version:
   - Removing or renaming fields
   - Changing field types
   - Changing URL structure
   - Changing authentication method
1. 初始使用/api/v1/ —— 不需要过早版本化,直到有需求时再进行
2. 最多维护2个活跃版本(当前版本 + 上一版本)
3. 弃用时间线:
   - 提前宣布弃用(公开API需提前6个月通知)
   - 添加Sunset响应头:Sunset: Sat, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT
   - 弃用日期后返回410 Gone状态码
4. 非破坏性变更不需要新增版本:
   - 响应中新增字段
   - 新增可选查询参数
   - 新增API端点
5. 破坏性变更需要新增版本:
   - 删除或重命名字段
   - 改变字段类型
   - 修改URL结构
   - 变更认证方式

Implementation Patterns

实现模式

TypeScript (Next.js API Route)

TypeScript(Next.js API路由)

typescript
import { z } from "zod";
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from "next/server";

const createUserSchema = z.object({
  email: z.string().email(),
  name: z.string().min(1).max(100),
});

export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
  const body = await req.json();
  const parsed = createUserSchema.safeParse(body);

  if (!parsed.success) {
    return NextResponse.json({
      error: {
        code: "validation_error",
        message: "Request validation failed",
        details: parsed.error.issues.map(i => ({
          field: i.path.join("."),
          message: i.message,
          code: i.code,
        })),
      },
    }, { status: 422 });
  }

  const user = await createUser(parsed.data);

  return NextResponse.json(
    { data: user },
    {
      status: 201,
      headers: { Location: `/api/v1/users/${user.id}` },
    },
  );
}
typescript
import { z } from "zod";
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from "next/server";

const createUserSchema = z.object({
  email: z.string().email(),
  name: z.string().min(1).max(100),
});

export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
  const body = await req.json();
  const parsed = createUserSchema.safeParse(body);

  if (!parsed.success) {
    return NextResponse.json({
      error: {
        code: "validation_error",
        message: "请求验证失败",
        details: parsed.error.issues.map(i => ({
          field: i.path.join("."),
          message: i.message,
          code: i.code,
        })),
      },
    }, { status: 422 });
  }

  const user = await createUser(parsed.data);

  return NextResponse.json(
    { data: user },
    {
      status: 201,
      headers: { Location: `/api/v1/users/${user.id}` },
    },
  );
}

Python (Django REST Framework)

Python(Django REST Framework)

python
from rest_framework import serializers, viewsets, status
from rest_framework.response import Response

class CreateUserSerializer(serializers.Serializer):
    email = serializers.EmailField()
    name = serializers.CharField(max_length=100)

class UserSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = User
        fields = ["id", "email", "name", "created_at"]

class UserViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
    serializer_class = UserSerializer
    permission_classes = [IsAuthenticated]

    def get_serializer_class(self):
        if self.action == "create":
            return CreateUserSerializer
        return UserSerializer

    def create(self, request):
        serializer = CreateUserSerializer(data=request.data)
        serializer.is_valid(raise_exception=True)
        user = UserService.create(**serializer.validated_data)
        return Response(
            {"data": UserSerializer(user).data},
            status=status.HTTP_201_CREATED,
            headers={"Location": f"/api/v1/users/{user.id}"},
        )
python
from rest_framework import serializers, viewsets, status
from rest_framework.response import Response

class CreateUserSerializer(serializers.Serializer):
    email = serializers.EmailField()
    name = serializers.CharField(max_length=100)

class UserSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = User
        fields = ["id", "email", "name", "created_at"]

class UserViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
    serializer_class = UserSerializer
    permission_classes = [IsAuthenticated]

    def get_serializer_class(self):
        if self.action == "create":
            return CreateUserSerializer
        return UserSerializer

    def create(self, request):
        serializer = CreateUserSerializer(data=request.data)
        serializer.is_valid(raise_exception=True)
        user = UserService.create(**serializer.validated_data)
        return Response(
            {"data": UserSerializer(user).data},
            status=status.HTTP_201_CREATED,
            headers={"Location": f"/api/v1/users/{user.id}"},
        )

Go (net/http)

Go(net/http)

go
func (h *UserHandler) CreateUser(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    var req CreateUserRequest
    if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&req); err != nil {
        writeError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "invalid_json", "Invalid request body")
        return
    }

    if err := req.Validate(); err != nil {
        writeError(w, http.StatusUnprocessableEntity, "validation_error", err.Error())
        return
    }

    user, err := h.service.Create(r.Context(), req)
    if err != nil {
        switch {
        case errors.Is(err, domain.ErrEmailTaken):
            writeError(w, http.StatusConflict, "email_taken", "Email already registered")
        default:
            writeError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "internal_error", "Internal error")
        }
        return
    }

    w.Header().Set("Location", fmt.Sprintf("/api/v1/users/%s", user.ID))
    writeJSON(w, http.StatusCreated, map[string]any{"data": user})
}
go
func (h *UserHandler) CreateUser(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    var req CreateUserRequest
    if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&req); err != nil {
        writeError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "invalid_json", "Invalid request body")
        return
    }

    if err := req.Validate(); err != nil {
        writeError(w, http.StatusUnprocessableEntity, "validation_error", err.Error())
        return
    }

    user, err := h.service.Create(r.Context(), req)
    if err != nil {
        switch {
        case errors.Is(err, domain.ErrEmailTaken):
            writeError(w, http.StatusConflict, "email_taken", "Email already registered")
        default:
            writeError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "internal_error", "Internal error")
        }
        return
    }

    w.Header().Set("Location", fmt.Sprintf("/api/v1/users/%s", user.ID))
    writeJSON(w, http.StatusCreated, map[string]any{"data": user})
}

API Design Checklist

API设计检查清单

Before shipping a new endpoint:
  • Resource URL follows naming conventions (plural, kebab-case, no verbs)
  • Correct HTTP method used (GET for reads, POST for creates, etc.)
  • Appropriate status codes returned (not 200 for everything)
  • Input validated with schema (Zod, Pydantic, Bean Validation)
  • Error responses follow standard format with codes and messages
  • Pagination implemented for list endpoints (cursor or offset)
  • Authentication required (or explicitly marked as public)
  • Authorization checked (user can only access their own resources)
  • Rate limiting configured
  • Response does not leak internal details (stack traces, SQL errors)
  • Consistent naming with existing endpoints (camelCase vs snake_case)
  • Documented (OpenAPI/Swagger spec updated)
在发布新端点前,请确认:
  • 资源URL符合命名规范(复数、短横线分隔、无动词)
  • 使用了正确的HTTP方法(GET用于读取,POST用于创建等)
  • 返回了合适的状态码(不所有请求都返回200)
  • 使用Schema对输入进行验证(如Zod、Pydantic、Bean Validation)
  • 错误响应遵循标准格式,包含错误码与信息
  • 列表端点实现了分页(游标或偏移量方式)
  • 已配置认证要求(或明确标记为公开)
  • 已检查授权逻辑(用户仅能访问自身资源)
  • 已配置速率限制
  • 响应未泄露内部细节(如堆栈跟踪、SQL错误)
  • 命名与现有端点保持一致(驼峰式 vs 下划线式)
  • 已完成文档编写(更新OpenAPI/Swagger规范)