🌐 What is a REST API?

A REST API (Representational State Transfer) is a stateless architecture that allows systems to communicate over HTTP using standard operations like:

GET – Retrieve data

POST – Create data

PUT – Update data

DELETE – Remove data

REST APIs are widely adopted because of their simplicity, scalability, and language-agnostic nature.

🚀 Why Java + Spring MVC for REST APIs?

🔧 Basic Architecture of a REST API in Spring MVC

Controller Layer – Handles HTTP requests/responses

Service Layer – Contains business logic

Repository Layer – Interacts with the database (via Spring Data JPA)

This layered architecture improves maintainability, scalability, and testability.

📦 Example: Creating a Simple REST API in Spring MVC

1️⃣ Define a Model

java

CopyEdit

public class Product {    private Long id;    private String name;    private double price;    // Getters & Setters }

2️⃣ Create a Controller

java

CopyEdit

@RestController @RequestMapping("/api/products") public class ProductController {    @GetMapping    public List<Product> getAllProducts() {        return productService.getAll();    }    @PostMapping    public Product createProduct(@RequestBody Product product) {        return productService.save(product);    } }

3️⃣ Handle Service Logic

java

CopyEdit

@Service public class ProductService {    public List<Product> getAll() {        // fetch products from DB or mock    }    public Product save(Product product) {        // save logic    } }

🔐 Best Practices for REST API Development with Spring MVC

Use Proper HTTP Status Codes

200 OK, 201 Created, 400 Bad Request, 404 Not Found, 500 Internal Server Error

Implement Input Validation
Use @Valid, @NotNull, @Size, etc., with Spring’s validation framework.

java

CopyEdit

@PostMapping public ResponseEntity<Product> create(@Valid @RequestBody Product product) {    return ResponseEntity.ok(productService.save(product)); }

Secure Endpoints with Spring Security
Add authentication (JWT, OAuth2) and role-based access control.

Version Your APIs
Use URI versioning like /api/v1/products to support backward compatibility.

Use Swagger/OpenAPI for Documentation
Auto-generate interactive API docs with SpringDoc or Swagger UI.

Paginate and Filter Data
Avoid large payloads; return data in pages with sorting/filtering.

Handle Exceptions Gracefully
Create a global exception handler using @ControllerAdvice.

java

CopyEdit

@ControllerAdvice public class GlobalExceptionHandler {    @ExceptionHandler(ResourceNotFoundException.class)    public ResponseEntity<?> handleNotFound(ResourceNotFoundException ex) {        return ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND).body(ex.getMessage());    } }

📈 Real-World Impact at CoDriveIT

With Java and Spring MVC, CoDriveIT has delivered:

⚡ Faster response times for high-traffic enterprise portals

🧩 Modular microservices APIs for SaaS platforms

🔒 Secure integrations with third-party services via REST

🚀 Rapid development using Spring Boot + Spring MVC stack

🧠 When to Use Spring MVC for REST APIs

✅ Ideal For:

Enterprise-level backends

Microservices architectures

Secure, stateless applications

Java-based digital platforms

❌ Consider other options if:

You need real-time, WebSocket-based communication

You're building simple serverless functions (consider Spring Cloud Functions or AWS Lambda)

📞 Build Scalable REST APIs with CoDriveIT

Whether you're starting a new project or refactoring an old monolith, CoDriveIT helps you build secure, scalable, and maintainable REST APIs using Java and Spring MVC.

visit our website www.codriveit.com