Introduction to REST & APIs

• What is an API?

• Understanding REST Architecture

• REST vs SOAP

• HTTP Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH

• JSON & XML Data Formats

Java & Spring Boot Essentials

• Overview of Spring Framework and Spring Boot

• Setting Up a Spring Boot Project (Maven/Gradle)

• Java Annotations in Spring

• Creating Your First REST Controller

• Testing with Postman or curl

Building RESTful Endpoints

• Creating CRUD Operations for a Resource

• Using @RestController, @RequestMapping, @PathVariable, @RequestBody

• ResponseEntity and HTTP Status Codes

• Validation and Error Handling

• Custom Exceptions and Exception Handlers

Data Access with Spring Data JPA

• Connecting to Relational Databases

• Creating JPA Entities and Repositories

• Query Methods and Pagination

• Using H2/MySQL/PostgreSQL with Spring Boot

• DTOs and Data Mapping

API Versioning, HATEOAS & Content Negotiation

• Why and How to Version REST APIs

• Implementing URI and Header Versioning

• Using HATEOAS for Hypermedia Controls

• Supporting JSON and XML Formats

• Spring Boot Content Negotiation Setup

Security in REST APIs

• Overview of API Security Best Practices

• Implementing Basic Authentication

• Securing Endpoints with Spring Security

• JWT (JSON Web Token) Authentication

• CORS Configuration

Testing and Documentation

• Unit Testing Controllers and Services (JUnit + Mockito)

• Integration Testing REST Endpoints

• Creating API Documentation with Swagger/OpenAPI

• Generating and Hosting Swagger UI

• Using Postman Collections for Testing

Deployment & Best Practices

• Packaging Spring Boot Applications (JAR/WAR)

• Deploying to Cloud Platforms (Heroku, AWS, etc.)

• Environment Configuration with Spring Profiles

• Monitoring and Logging REST APIs

• Best Practices for Scalable and Maintainable APIs

Final Project: Building a Complete REST API

• Design a RESTful API for a Real-World Use Case (e.g., Task Manager, Library System)

• Implement All CRUD Operations with Security

• Document and Test the API

• Deploy the API to a Live Environment

• Submit and Present Your Final Project

Course Duration: 6–8 Weeks
Skill Level: Intermediate
Technologies Covered: Java, Spring Boot, Spring Data JPA, Spring Security, Swagger, REST, JWT