Best Practices for Naming API Endpoints

How to Name API Endpoints Without Overthinking

Naming endpoints might seem like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference for anyone building or maintaining APIs. Here are some tips that have always helped me:

🟢 Clarity comes first

Pick names that make it obvious what the endpoint does. If someone glances at it, they should get the idea right away.

🟢 Consistency is your friend

Stick to a pattern throughout the project. It avoids confusion and makes life easier for anyone working on the code later (including future you).

🟢 Think about who will use it

Well-named endpoints make it easier to integrate with other systems and help everyone speak the same language, from devs to product folks.

Quick Tips

• Use nouns for resources: Go with /users, /products, etc. to represent collections or entities.

• Be direct and specific: Something like /orders/{id}/status says exactly what it is.

• Let HTTP verbs do the work: No need to put actions in the endpoint. GET /users is for fetching users, POST /users is for creating.

• Repeat your pattern everywhere: Uniformity makes everything easier to understand and maintain.

In the end, a well-named endpoint saves time, prevents headaches, and makes your project look way more professional.