A Young Father's Guide To Writing Your First API

Writing your first API in many ways is very similar to caring for your first child. It screams, it cries, it poops everywhere, and tries to eat it. It will be your job to nurture, monitor, and clean it until it eventually blossoms into a full-grown API.

Step 1: Choosing the Right Tech Stack (aka Picking the Right Diapers)

Much like you wouldn’t swaddle your baby in sandpaper, you don’t want to pick the wrong Tech Stack for your API. Do you go with REST or GraphQL? JSON or XML? Node.js or Python? The choices are endless, and like parenting advice from the internet, everyone will tell you their way is the only way. Pick what makes sense for you, but also be prepared to second-guess everything when things go wrong.

Step 2: Setting Up the Basics (aka Baby-Proofing Your Code)

Before your API even says its first “Hello, World,” you need to set up the basics: a decent folder structure, environment variables, and a reliable server.

This is also where you set up your routes—the little paths your API will take in life. Think of it as teaching it where to go when it needs milk (or, in API terms, when a client requests data). If you forget to set proper routes, your API will wander aimlessly, breaking things and throwing tantrums.

Step 3: Handling Requests & Responses (aka Teaching Your API Not to Scream for No Reason)

Your API will get requests from the outside world. Some of these requests will be polite and well-formed, like a child saying, “Can I have a cookie?” Others will be absolute nonsense, like a toddler shouting, “FLYING BANANA!” at the dinner table.

Your job is to ensure your API handles requests properly. Validate inputs, return appropriate status codes (don’t just throw a 200 OK at everything), and for the love of all that is good, never expose sensitive data.

Step 4: Error Handling (aka Your API WILL Fall Down… A Lot)

Just like a child learning to walk, your API is going to fall flat on its face. A lot. And it will be your job to make sure that when it does, it doesn’t take the entire system down with it.

Use proper try-catch blocks, meaningful error messages (no one likes a mysterious ‘Something went wrong’ message), and always return useful HTTP status codes. A 500 Internal Server Error with no context is the equivalent of a kid throwing a tantrum in the grocery store—annoying, unhelpful, and embarrassing for everyone involved.

Step 5: Authentication & Security (aka Teaching Your API Not to Talk to Strangers)

If you don’t secure your API, someone will steal its lunch money.

Use authentication methods like JWT or OAuth, sanitize inputs to prevent SQL injection attacks, and make sure your API only shares information with people it actually trusts. If your API starts spilling secrets to anyone who asks, you’ll end up on a very unfortunate front page of the internet.

Step 6: Documentation (aka Teaching Your API to Speak Clearly)

You might understand your API today, but in six months, it will feel like looking at a child’s crayon drawing and trying to decipher if it’s a horse or a crime scene.

Write clear documentation. Use Swagger, Postman, or even a simple README file to explain what each endpoint does. Your future self (and anyone else unfortunate enough to inherit your API) will thank you.

Step 7: Deployment (aka Sending Your API Off to College)

Eventually, your API has to leave the comfort of localhost and go out into the big scary world. Deploy it to a hosting provider (AWS, Vercel, Heroku, or wherever you prefer) and monitor it closely. Much like a new college student, it will party hard, break things, and occasionally need you to step in and fix its mess.

Conclusion: Love Your API, Even When It’s a Mess

Your first API will not be perfect. It will have bugs, weird quirks, and moments where you question your life choices. But with time, patience, and the occasional refactor, it will grow into something functional, reliable, and maybe even beautiful.

And just like parenting, you’ll look back on it fondly one day—right before you start working on your next API and the whole cycle begins again.