HTTP methods and RESTful endpoints¶

HTTP is a fundamental protocol for Microservices and Web distributed systems^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md]. In a RESTful architecture, endpoints serve as specific paths on a server that respond to client requests, while HTTP methods define the type of operation to be performed on the resource^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

HTTP methods ¶

Web servers support multiple types of HTTP methods to handle different actions^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md]. Common methods include GET and POST, which serve distinct purposes in API design^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

GET¶

The GET method is used to request data from a specified resource^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md]. When a client accesses a specific route (endpoint), the server processes the request and returns information, such as a list of items formatted as JSON^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

POST¶

The POST method is used to send data to a server to create or update a resource^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md]. Unlike GET, which retrieves information, POST requests typically include a body containing the data to be processed^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

RESTful Endpoint Implementation¶

Building a RESTful endpoint involves mapping specific URL paths to handler functions that execute logic based on the HTTP method used^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

Request Routing Servers define routes, such as / or /update, and associate them with specific functions^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md]. For example, a root endpoint / might be designated to retrieve all records^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

Method Validation Proper endpoint design requires validating the HTTP method. If a client attempts to use an unsupported method, the server should return an appropriate HTTP status code, such as 405 Method Not Allowed^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

Data Exchange RESTful endpoints rely on formats like JSON to exchange data^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md]. * Response: When sending data to a client, structured data (like slices or arrays) is serialized into a byte format (e.g., []byte) and written to the response^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md]. * Request: When receiving data (e.g., via POST), the server reads the request body, usually as a stream of bytes, and deserializes it into usable data structures^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

Error Handling and Validation Servers must handle potential errors during data processing. For instance, if the data sent in a request body cannot be parsed or fails validation (e.g., bad format), the API should return a 400 Bad Request status code^[400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md].

[[Microservices]]
[[API Design]]
[[JSON]]

Sources¶

400-devops-09-scripting-language-golang-introduction-part-3http-readme.md