System Integration and APIs in System Design

Week 6: System Integration and APIs

1. Building and Consuming APIs:

Lecture 1: Introduction to APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)
Define what APIs are and why they are essential for system integration.
Provide examples of APIs in everyday life.
Lecture 2: API Components and Architecture
Explore the key components of an API, including endpoints, requests, and responses.
Discuss the client-server architecture of API interactions.
Lab 1: Creating and Consuming a Simple API
Build a basic API that serves data and develop a client application that consumes it.
Use tools like Postman or cURL to make API requests.

2. RESTful API Design Principles:

Lecture 3: Introduction to RESTful APIs
Explain the principles of Representational State Transfer (REST) and its importance in web services.
Compare REST to other API styles (e.g., SOAP).
Lecture 4: RESTful Resource Design
Discuss resource naming, URI structure, and HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
Emphasize the importance of using nouns for resources.
Lab 2: Designing a RESTful API
Design the endpoints and resources for a RESTful API that manages a user database.
Create a simple API documentation.

3. API Security and Authentication:

Lecture 5: API Security Fundamentals
Highlight common security threats to APIs, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).
Explain the need for authentication and authorization.
Lecture 6: Authentication Methods
Explore various authentication methods, including API keys, OAuth, and JWT (JSON Web Tokens).
Discuss the advantages and use cases for each method.
Lab 3: Implementing API Authentication
Secure your API by implementing authentication using JWT.
Create a simple registration and login system for your API.

4. API Documentation and Versioning:

Lecture 7: Importance of API Documentation
Explain why well-documented APIs are crucial for developers and users.
Showcase examples of good API documentation.
Lecture 8: API Versioning
Discuss the need for API versioning to ensure backward compatibility.
Explore different versioning strategies, such as URI versioning and header versioning.
Lab 4: Documenting and Versioning Your API
Create comprehensive documentation for your API using tools like Swagger or Postman.
Implement versioning for your API and demonstrate backward compatibility.

Homework Assignment:

Analyze a public API of your choice (e.g., Twitter API, Google Maps API) and provide a report on its design, security measures, and documentation quality.

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