Requirements Gathering
Key Questions
| Question | Why |
|---|---|
| Who are the users? | Auth, rate limits |
| What operations? | CRUD + custom |
| Data volume? | Pagination, caching |
| Latency needs? | Optimization level |
| Security needs? | Auth method |
Requirements Template
1. Functional: What operations does API support?
2. Non-functional: Performance, security, scalability
3. Constraints: Budget, timeline, technology
4. Success: How do we know it works?
Key Points
- Understanding API Design Requirements is essential for production systems
- Always consider scalability and maintainability
- Test thoroughly before deploying to production
- Monitor performance and set up alerting
Common Patterns
- Validation: Always validate input at the boundary
- Error Handling: Use structured error responses
- Logging: Log key events for debugging
- Testing: Unit, integration, and load tests
- Documentation: Keep docs updated with code changes
API Best Practices
Design Principles
- Use nouns, not verbs
- Plural resource names
- Consistent naming conventions
- Proper HTTP status codes
Versioning
- URI versioning (/v1/resource)
- Header versioning
- Deprecation policy
Documentation
- OpenAPI/Swagger specs
- Request/Response examples
- Error code documentation
- Rate limit documentation
Key Points
- Understanding API Design Requirements is essential for production systems
- Always consider scalability and maintainability
- Test thoroughly before deploying to production
- Monitor performance and set up alerting
Common Patterns
- Validation: Always validate input at the boundary
- Error Handling: Use structured error responses
- Logging: Log key events for debugging
- Testing: Unit, integration, and load tests
- Documentation: Keep docs updated with code changes
Practice Problems
Design and implement a solution for API Design Requirements in a backend system. Consider scalability, error handling, and production readiness.
Solution
// API Design Requirements implementation
// Key aspects: validation, error handling, logging, testing
public class APIDesignRequirements {
// Production-ready implementation
}Identify and handle edge cases for API Design Requirements. What happens under high load, with invalid input, or during failures?
Solution
// Edge case handling:
// 1. Null/empty input -> validation
// 2. High load -> rate limiting, queuing
// 3. Failures -> retries, circuit breaker
// 4. Concurrent access -> locks, idempotencyWrite a testing strategy for API Design Requirements. Include unit tests, integration tests, and performance tests.
Solution
// Test plan:
// - Unit: 80% coverage target
// - Integration: API contracts
// - Performance: latency, throughput
// - Chaos: failure injectionQuiz
1. First step in API design?
2. Non-functional requirements include?
3. What is the primary purpose of API Design Requirements?
4. What is a common mistake when implementing API Design Requirements?
Flashcards
Question
First step?
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Answer
Gather requirements
Question
Non-functional?
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Answer
Performance, security, scalability
Question
What is API Design Requirements?
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Answer
API Design Requirements is a key concept in backend development.
Question
When to use API Design Requirements?
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Answer
Use API Design Requirements when building production systems that require reliability, scalability, and maintainability.
Question
API Design Requirements best practices
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Answer
Follow SOLID principles, write clean code, test thoroughly, document decisions, and monitor in production.
Revision Notes
Key Takeaways
- 1.Gather requirements before designing
- 2.Functional: operations and data
- 3.Non-functional: performance, security, scalability
- 4.Constraints: budget, timeline, technology
Interview Tips
- •Ask clarifying questions
- •Document requirements
Cheat Sheet
API Requirements
- Functional: operations, data
- Non-functional: perf, security, scale
- Constraints: budget, timeline
- Always gather before designing