What is the importance of idempotence in APIs?

What is the importance of idempotence in APIs?

Idempotence in APIs means that making the same request multiple times will have the same effect as making it once. This is crucial for ensuring reliability and consistency in operations, especially in distributed systems.

Can you give me an example of an idempotent operation?

Sure! A common example is a DELETE request. If you delete a resource and then send the same DELETE request again, the resource remains deleted, and the state of the system does not change.

What happens if an API is not idempotent?

If an API is not idempotent, repeated requests can lead to unintended side effects, such as creating duplicate records or inconsistent states, which can complicate error handling and recovery.

How can I implement idempotence in my API?

You can implement idempotence by using unique identifiers for requests, such as a client-generated ID, and ensuring that your server recognizes and handles duplicate requests appropriately.