How should I handle filtering, sorting, and field selection in REST?
Via query params: ?role=admin&sortBy=createdAt&fields=name,email. Let clients ask for what they need without creating custom endpoints for each filter combination.
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More FAQs in REST API Design Best Practices in Express
Use plural nouns in paths, the right HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE), correct status codes, consistent response shapes, pagination for collections, versioning (v1), filtering via query, shallow nesting, and JWT or OAuth auth. Validate input at the boundary.
Nouns. The HTTP method is the verb. /users, not /getUsers. /users/:id, not /getUserById. Plural nouns for collections (/users), singular via path param (/users/:id).
Use query params like ?skip=0&limit=20. Return a next link or cursor in the response. Never return the entire collection without a limit; clients cannot handle large responses and the server should not send them.
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