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 a common mistake when implementing API Design Requirements?
Flashcards
Question
First step?
Click to reveal answer
Answer
Gather requirements
Question
Non-functional?
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Answer
Performance, security, scalability
Question
API Design Requirements best practices
Click to reveal answer
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