this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2024
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Meme transcription: Panel 1. Two images of JSON, one is the empty object, one is an object in which the key name maps to the value null. Caption: “Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture”

Panel 2. The Java backend dev answers, “They’re the same picture.”

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

For an API there should always be a version parameter/endpoint, imho.

Edit for further context: Ideally, a parameter.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I wasn't taking about new fields. I was talking about resource partial updates (eg PATCH, or commonly the U in CRUD).

If you just want to update a single field on a resource with 100 fields, rather than GETting the entire resource, updating the single field, and PUTting whole thing back, just do a PATCH with the single field.

Likewise if you're POSTing a resource that has nullable fields, but the default value isn't null, how do you indicate that you want the default value for a given field? Do you have to first query some metadata API? That doesn't seem ideal, when this existing pattern exists

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Those are two very fair points - I agree.