Discover essential best practices for implementing, consuming, and securing REST APIs in mobile app development for Android and iOS. This quiz helps developers assess their knowledge and apply correct techniques to optimize API reliability, security, and efficiency.
Which HTTP method should be used to retrieve a list of user profiles without making any changes to the data?
Explanation: GET is the correct method for retrieving resources without altering server data. POST is used for creating new resources, while PUT and UPDATE (which is not an actual HTTP method) are used for updating existing resources. Using GET ensures safety and idempotency for non-destructive read operations.
When a client requests a resource that does not exist, which HTTP status code should the REST API return?
Explanation: 404 indicates that the requested resource could not be found, which accurately reflects the scenario. 200 implies a successful request, 302 is for redirection, and 503 means the service is unavailable. Proper status codes help clients identify the nature of errors efficiently.
What is the recommended way to transmit sensitive information, such as access tokens, from a mobile app to a REST API?
Explanation: Transmitting sensitive information over HTTPS encrypts the data, ensuring security in transit. Sending through SMS is insecure and unrelated to API requests, while HTTP sends data unencrypted. Solely relying on cookies does not protect the data during transmission. Always use HTTPS for secure communication.
Which response format is commonly recommended for REST APIs due to its lightweight and easy parsing in mobile apps?
Explanation: JSON is widely used for REST APIs as it is lightweight, human-readable, and easily parsed on both Android and iOS. XML can be verbose and slower to parse, YAML is less commonly supported, and CSV does not support complex data structures as effectively as JSON does.
To decrease mobile network usage, which method allows clients to fetch only changed or new data from an API?
Explanation: Delta Sync enables clients to fetch only changed or new data, minimizing network traffic. Pagination is for breaking up large result sets, caching saves responses for repeated use, and broadcasting is not a method for selective API data retrieval. Delta Sync optimizes updates efficiently on limited mobile networks.
What is a best practice for maintaining backward compatibility when updating a REST API used by multiple app versions?
Explanation: Including the API version in the URL, such as /v1/, helps maintain backward compatibility with existing apps. Using random paths confuses clients, changing all endpoints at once disrupts users, and disabling old versions immediately can break active clients. Versioning helps manage API changes safely.
Which of these is the best practice for naming REST API resources representing collections?
Explanation: Using plural nouns (such as /users) clearly indicates a collection of resources, aligning with REST best practices. Using verbs is unnecessary since HTTP methods express actions, UPPERCASE is not standard, and camelCase is typically not used in resource paths. Plural nouns improve clarity and consistency.
How should a REST API help mobile clients manage large result sets when listing hundreds of items?
Explanation: Pagination breaks up large data sets into manageable pages, improving performance and user experience in mobile apps. Sending all data at once can overwhelm client resources, returning random items is inefficient, and single-item endpoints cannot handle collections. Pagination is the standard for large lists.
Which HTTP status code should a mobile client expect when it successfully creates a new resource using a REST API?
Explanation: 201 Created signals that the request succeeded and a new resource was made. 409 conflicts with existing data, 400 means a bad request, and 301 is for resource redirection. Using 201 helps clients correctly identify successful resource creation operations.
Why should a REST API implement rate limiting for mobile clients making requests?
Explanation: Rate limiting protects APIs from excessive use or automated attacks by limiting the number of requests clients can make. The goal is not to slow down the app or cause errors, and removing endpoints is unrelated. Proper rate limiting maintains service availability and fairness for all users.