The Right API for the Job

A presentation at phpday 2022 in in Verona, VR, Italy by Rob Allen

When you’ve been tasked with creating an HTTP API, there’s many things that you need to consider and I’m here to help you navigate your journey. We start with the fundamental decision of architecture: should your API be RESTful? What about GraphQL? or RPC? We’ll look at the choices and their strengths and weaknesses to guide your decision. We’ll also take a hard look at the other, vital components of an API from how it works with HTTP, through validation, payload formats and error handling. An API makes its mark when it is used, so we’ll also consider developer experience to ensure that your API is best it can be. By the end of this talk, you’ll be well-placed to design and deliver a great API that’s fit for purpose.