10 REST API MISTAKES TO AVOID

If you're building APIs with Wordpress, Laravel or Node.js, this might hit a bit close to home A lot of developers aren’t really designing APIs they’re just returning JSON and calling it a day. And that’s where things start to fall apart. Because a solid API isn’t just something that “works.” It should be consistent, scalable, predictable, and easy for other developers to use. Let’s break down some of the most common mistakes and how to fix them 👇 ❌ 1. Using Verbs in URLs Wrong GET /getBooks POST /createBook DELETE /deleteBook/1 Right GET /books POST /books DELETE /books/1 👉 URLs should represent resources (nouns) — not actions. HTTP methods already define the action. ❌ 2. Ignoring HTTP Status Codes Wrong 200 OK { "status": "error", "message": "User not found" } Right 200 → Success 201 → Created 400 → Bad Request 401 → Unauthorized 403 → Forbidden 404 → Not Found 422 → Validation Error 500 → Server Error 👉 Status codes are part of your API contract. ❌ 3. Inconsistent JSON Structure Wro