Company
Date Published
Author
Thomas Hunter II
Word count
3600
Language
-
Hacker News points
None

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of careful data handling and design principles when building APIs, particularly in dynamic languages like JavaScript. It highlights the need to be selective with the data provided to API consumers to avoid future complications, advocating for the use of well-defined Domain Objects to enforce structure and data integrity. The text also advises using consistent naming conventions and positive attribute names for clarity and forward compatibility. Additionally, it underscores the Robustness Principle, which suggests being conservative in outputs and liberal in accepting inputs, to ensure API reliability and usability. The importance of testing all error conditions and maintaining awareness of data transmission to prevent excessive data transfer and potential security risks is also discussed. Overall, the article provides guidance to avoid common pitfalls in API development, applicable across various programming environments.