8 sections · 40 topics

The API Playbooks

What they don't teach you about building APIs that last. An interactive reference for engineers who want to go beyond the surface.

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You're already using APIs — here's what you're not seeing

The API Contract Mental ModelSync vs Async CommunicationThe Protocol LandscapeData Formats & Content NegotiationSpecs as Source of Truth

Why your API feels wrong to consume — and how to fix it

API-First WorkflowResource Modeling & URI DesignREST Design PrinciplesQuery DesignError Handling & Status CodesSchema Evolution > Versioning

3. Resilience Patterns

The patterns that separate toy APIs from production APIs

Idempotency & Idempotency KeysRetry Strategies & Exponential BackoffCircuit BreakersRate Limiting & ThrottlingCaching StrategiesTimeouts & Deadline Propagation

4. Architecture Patterns

Your API doesn't live alone — stop designing like it does

API GatewayBackend-for-Frontend (BFF)Event-Driven APIsGraphQL: When It Shines, When It Doesn'tSaga Pattern

The attack surface you're ignoring

Authentication vs IdentificationOAuth2 & OpenID ConnectAuthorization ModelsOWASP API Security Top 10CORSSecrets Management

6. Observability & Reliability

Your API is lying to you — averages hide the real story

API Metrics That MatterDistributed TracingHealth Checks & Readiness ProbesError Budgets & SLOs

7. Lifecycle & Developer Experience

Your API will outlive your team — plan for it

Documentation That WorksSDKs, Sandboxes & Mock ServersContract TestingAPI Linting & Style GuidesBackward Compatibility & Deprecation

What changes when your consumer isn't human — an evolving landscape

Function Calling & Tool UseModel Context Protocol (MCP)Designing Agent-Friendly APIs

Playbooks

Step-by-step practice guides with do/don't guidance.

Design a REST API

A step-by-step guide for designing a REST API that consumers actually enjoy using — from resource modeling to error responses. Focuses on the decisions that matter, not framework-specific code.

45 minBackend engineers, tech leads, API designers

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