Learning REST API is an important skill for many software developers and IT professionals. REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for building APIs that has become the standard for web services and mobile applications. Determining how long it takes to learn REST APIs depends on several factors.
What is REST API?
REST API stands for Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface. It is an architectural style for designing networked applications. REST uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. Therefore, it relies on standard HTTP methods and status codes to operate.
A REST API breaks down a transaction to create a series of small modules. Each module addresses a particular underlying part of the transaction. This modularity provides developers with a lot of flexibility. They can use the modules in new applications since the modules are independent of each other.
Why Learn REST API?
There are several reasons to learn REST API:
- REST has become the standard for building API services. The majority of public API providers like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube use REST.
- It is lightweight, fast, scalable and simple. The REST architecture makes the most of the pre-existing HTTP protocols and infrastructure.
- It is language and platform independent. You can build a REST API using any programming language like Java, Ruby, PHP, etc.
- REST uses a stateless client-server communication model. The client only needs to know the endpoint URI. No client context is stored on the server between requests.
- REST APIs are easy to test. REST methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) correspond directly to CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete).
Therefore, having REST API skills makes you a better candidate for many technical roles involving web services and application programming.
How is REST API Learned?
Here are the main steps to learning REST APIs:
- Understand REST Concepts: First, gain a solid grasp of REST architecture style, principles and constraints. Know core concepts like resources, URIs, representations, endpoints, stateless servers, etc.
- Learn HTTP: Since REST relies on HTTP, get familiar with HTTP verbs, response codes, headers, etc. Understand how HTTP is used in REST to manipulate data.
- Study API Documentation: Look at documentation for popular REST APIs like Twitter, Github, etc. See how they are structured and endpoints defined.
- Hands-on Building: Practically build basic REST APIs in a language like Node.js, Ruby on Rails, Java Spring, etc. Apply REST concepts by creating routes and endpoints.
- Exploring REST Client Apps: Build client apps that consume REST APIs. This helps understand REST API usage from a client perspective.
- Testing: Test REST APIs using tools like Postman. Validate status codes, study error handling, and check responses.
How Long Does it Take to Learn?
For most developers, learning REST API from scratch takes around 2-4 weeks on average if learning part-time. Here is a breakdown of the estimated time for each learning step:
| Learning Step | Estimated Time |
|---|---|
| Understand REST concepts | 3-5 days |
| Learn HTTP protocol | 2-3 days |
| Study API documentation | 2-3 days |
| Hands-on building REST APIs | 5-7 days |
| Building REST clients | 3-4 days |
| Testing REST APIs | 2-3 days |
So in total, around 2-4 weeks depending on prior experience. Those new to web services will be towards the longer end. Experienced developers building on existing knowledge can learn faster.
Tips for Learning REST APIs Faster
Here are some tips to accelerate your learning of REST APIs:
- Study REST while building a real project rather than isolated examples.
- Use a popular framework like Node/Express, Django REST, etc to simplify coding.
- Experiment with different languages and libraries like Python, Java, Ruby, etc.
- Set up a local development environment to test APIs as you build.
- Use Postman or Insomnia for sending HTTP requests during testing.
- Read through source code of open source REST APIs on Github.
- Build both server side REST APIs and client apps consuming them.
- Attain hands-on experience with integrated APIs like Twitter, Stripe, etc.
- Use REST principles even for simple APIs to get used to it.
- Learn from building mistakes – study error conditions and edge cases.
Conclusion
Learning REST API generally takes 2-4 weeks for an intermediate developer dedicating a few hours daily. The key is getting hands-on experience building real REST APIs using core guidelines. Complement tutorials with practical mini-projects. Test continuously via clients like Postman. Integrate APIs from third-party providers. Approach learning REST API through an iterative process of theory, building, and testing. With diligent practice, you can gain REST skills efficiently.