? Day 1: Building and Designing RESTful APIs

Session 1: Introduction to REST APIs

• What is an API?
• Principles of REST (statelessness, resources, verbs)
• REST vs. SOAP vs. GraphQL

Session 2: Designing RESTful Endpoints

• RESTful URL structure and HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
• Status codes and response formats
• Resource nesting and versioning

Session 3: Building a REST API with Node.js and Express

• Setting up Express server
• Defining routes and controllers
• Working with request/response objects and JSON

Lab Activities:

• Create a basic REST API for a sample "Product Catalog"
• Use Postman to test API endpoints and methods
• Handle input validation and basic error handling

? Day 2: Advanced REST Features + Introduction to GraphQL

Session 1: Enhancing REST APIs

• Authentication and authorization (JWT, API Keys)
• Middleware usage (logging, validation, error handling)
• Pagination, filtering, and sorting

Session 2: Introduction to GraphQL

• GraphQL vs. REST: key differences and when to use each
• Core concepts: schema, types, queries, mutations, resolvers
• Setting up Apollo Server with Node.js

Session 3: Writing Your First GraphQL API

• Defining schema and resolvers
• Handling queries and mutations
• Nested and relational data (resolving relationships)

Lab Activities:

• Add JWT authentication to the REST API
• Set up a GraphQL server and run sample queries
• Create types and resolvers for a “User + Posts” schema

? Day 3: Full-Stack API Integration and Best Practices

Session 1: Consuming APIs from the Frontend

• Using REST and GraphQL with React or frontend clients
• Fetching data with Axios (REST) and Apollo Client (GraphQL)
• Managing loading states and caching in GraphQL

Session 2: API Documentation, Testing, and Security

• Auto-documenting REST with Swagger/OpenAPI
• GraphQL schema documentation and playground
• API testing (Postman, Insomnia) and security best practices

Session 3: Capstone Project + Deployment

• Design and build a complete API (REST or GraphQL) for a sample app (e.g., Task Manager or Blog)
• Deploying to cloud platforms (Render, Heroku, Vercel)
• Final project presentations and code reviews

Lab Activities:

• Document and test the built API
• Deploy API to the cloud with environment variables
• Showcase project demo with both REST and GraphQL access options