5 API URL Structure Mistakes That Drive Clients Crazy

Your API URL structure matters more than you think. Bad URLs don't just confuse developers — they break integrations, hurt SEO, and make your API hard to maintain. 1. Using Verbs in URLs ❌ Bad: /getUsers , /createPost , /deleteUser/123 ✅ Good: GET /users , POST /posts , DELETE /users/123 HTTP methods already express the action. Let them do their job. 2. Inconsistent Resource Naming ❌ Bad: /users , /post_comments , /OrderItems , /customer_addresses ✅ Good: /users , /comments , /orders , /addresses Pick ONE convention (usually plural, kebab-case) and stick with it across your entire API. 3. Nested Too Deep ❌ Bad: /users/123/orders/456/items/789 ✅ Good: /orders/456 (include user context in the order) Three or more levels of nesting is a red flag. Flatten your resources when possible. 4. Wrong Pluralization ❌ Bad: /user/123 , /category/all , /news (for one item) ✅ Good: /users/123 , /categories , /news/abc123 Collection endpoints: plural ( /users ) Single resources: plural + ID ( /users/12