Creating an API Endpoint

What is an API Endpoint?

If an API is considered the messenger passes data from your backend to your front-end, each individual API endpoint defines the specific command that messenger knows.

API Endpoint verbs

API Endpoints have a "method" or HTTP Verb associated them and the most common are POST, GET, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. These verbs correspond to the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations, respectively. When you create an API endpoint, you must first define what type of verb it is.

The API Endpoint verb doesn't necessarily dictate exactly what can/can't happen in the Function Stack of the API. This means just because you're creating an API endpoint with the verb DELETE, doesn't mean you can't add records to a database when it gets called.

When to create an API Endpoint

Most applications need something beyond basic CRUD operations and require you to create custom business logic in an API endpoint. Xano makes this easy.

How to create an API endpoint

API Endpoint Options

  • CRUD Database Operation - Adds an API endpoint using a CRUD Operation to a database table.

  • Authentication - Creates an API endpoint with authentication logic auth/login Allows a user to login and generates a JWE token that lets them login. auth/signup Allows a user to sign up to your app and generates a token for them to login.auth/me returns the authenticated user

  • Upload Content - Creates an API endpoint that allows you to upload Images, videos or attachments.

  • Import Query - You import any API endpoint you've exported using the three-dot menu

  • Start from scratch - Define the API name, Verb, and description from scratch

NOTE: Any of these API endpoints can be manipulated and changed to anything you want. These options just make it easy for you to generate useful API Endpoints quickly.

pageNaming your API Endpoints

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