REST API - Version Your API

When designing a RESTful API, including a version number in your API's URL is a good practice. This allows you to make changes and improvements to the API without breaking existing clients that rely on the older version.

Here's an example of how to version your API:

https://api.example.com/v1/resource

In this URL, "v1" represents the first version of the API. If you later need to make breaking changes or introduce new features, you can create a new version by incrementing the version number like this:

https://api.example.com/v2/resource

This versioning approach provides several benefits:

1. Backward Compatibility: Existing clients can continue using the old API version without disruption. They can migrate to the new version when they are ready.

2. Easy Deprecation: When you need to deprecate an old version, you can clearly communicate the deprecation timeline to your API users.

3. Testing and Rollout: You can test and roll out new API versions independently without affecting the stability of existing clients.

4. Documentation: It's easier to maintain documentation for different API versions, making it clear which endpoints and features are available in each version.

5. Future-Proofing: Versioning helps ensure your API can evolve and adapt to changing requirements.

Remember to provide clear documentation for each API version, including details about changes, improvements, and any deprecated endpoints. This will help developers understand how to use the API effectively and transition to newer versions when necessary.