REST APIs - lesson 2 | HackIndia Skills

Key point

One rule

Use nouns in URLs. Use HTTP methods for actions.

Your URL says what resource is being touched. The method says what is happening to it.

URLs are addresses

A resource-based URL points to a thing your API manages: users, teams, events, expenses, orders, submissions.

Keep URLs predictable. A teammate should guess the next route without opening five files.

Your to-do

Choose the URL

Do each one yourself, then tap it to tick it off. The ticks are only a checklist for you: they are not marked or scored.

Start with the collection name, usually plural: /projects, /orders, /expenses.
Use an id for one item: /projects/{projectId}.
Nest only when the child clearly belongs to the parent: /projects/{projectId}/tasks.
Keep words lowercase and use hyphens if needed: /team-members.
Avoid verbs like /getProjects, /createOrder, or /deleteTask.

0 of 5 done

Choose the method

The method should match the type of change. This makes your API easier to test with Postman, curl, browser tools, or a teammate’s frontend.

For this lesson, focus on the main four methods you will use in your hackathon repo.

Example

Method map

Use this as your first route list. Change the resource names to fit your project.

GET    /api/v1/projects              List projects
POST   /api/v1/projects              Create a project
GET    /api/v1/projects/{projectId}  Get one project
PATCH  /api/v1/projects/{projectId}  Update part of a project
DELETE /api/v1/projects/{projectId}  Delete a project

GET    /api/v1/projects/{projectId}/tasks             List tasks in a project
POST   /api/v1/projects/{projectId}/tasks             Create a task in a project
PATCH  /api/v1/projects/{projectId}/tasks/{taskId}    Update a task
DELETE /api/v1/projects/{projectId}/tasks/{taskId}    Delete a task

Common mistake

Do not put the action in both the URL and the method. POST /createProject repeats itself. DELETE /deleteProject/{id} repeats itself too.

Prefer POST /projects and DELETE /projects/{projectId}. It is shorter and follows the same pattern everywhere.

Tip

Test by reading

Read your routes out loud like a teammate using them during a hackathon demo.

If the sentence sounds like “PATCH one task inside one project”, the route is probably clear: PATCH /projects/{projectId}/tasks/{taskId}.