2026-03-07 15:46 Tags:Technical Literacy

Great video:

https://youtu.be/-MTSQjw5DrM?si=ePbvf9bPzXIusJyV It has an example by javascript

https://youtu.be/lsMQRaeKNDk?si=Mij4mYfrseV5mL0n from IBM I like this more, really good, definitely worth rewatching. It’s all about communication!!!!!!

Great question. Let’s unpack RESTful APIs in a way that actually helps you understand what’s happening in your n8n + Reddit + Notion workflows, not just theory.

Think of a REST API like a restaurant system.

• The menu = API endpoints

• The waiter = HTTP request

• The kitchen = server

• The dish = JSON response

You ask for something → server brings it back.

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1. The core idea of REST: resources

REST APIs revolve around resources.

A resource = a piece of data on the server.

Examples:

Resource	Example
user	user profile
post	Reddit post
comment	Reddit comment
task	todo item
page	Notion page

Each resource has a URL.

Example:

https://api.reddit.com/r/financialindependence

That URL represents the subreddit resource.

Another example:

https://api.notion.com/v1/pages

That represents Notion pages.

So REST basically says:

Everything on the server should be treated as a resource with a URL.

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2. API - HTTP methods (the verbs of REST)

REST APIs use HTTP methods to interact with resources.

These are the actions you can take.

Method	Meaning	Example
GET	read	get Reddit posts
POST	create	create Notion page
PUT	replace	update object
PATCH	partial update	modify fields
DELETE	remove	delete item

Example:

Get data

GET https://api.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/top.json

Server returns:

{
  "title": "How I retired at 35",
  "upvotes": 5400
}

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Create data

POST https://api.notion.com/v1/pages

Body:

{
  "title": "New research note"
}

Server creates a new page.

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This pattern is very consistent across almost every API.

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3. Endpoints (the doors into the system)

An endpoint = a specific API URL.

Example:

/users
/users/123
/posts
/posts/456

Think of them like database tables exposed through URLs.

Example:

Endpoint	Meaning
/users	all users
/users/123	specific user
/posts	all posts
/posts/456	specific post

Example request:

GET https://api.github.com/users/yachen

Server returns a user object.

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4. JSON (how data travels)

Most REST APIs return JSON.

Example response:

{
  "title": "Best FIRE strategy",
  "upvotes": 2300,
  "comments": 187
}

Why JSON?

Because every programming language understands it.

Python:

dict

JavaScript:

object

n8n:

$json

So when you do:

{{$json.data.title}}

You are literally accessing a JSON field from the API response.

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5. REST is stateless

This is a key concept.

REST APIs are stateless.

Meaning:

Every request is independent.

The server does not remember previous requests.

Example:

GET /posts
GET /posts
GET /posts

Each request is processed separately.

This makes REST APIs very scalable.

That’s why massive systems like:

• Reddit

• Stripe

• Shopify

• Twitter

all use REST.

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6. Status codes (server responses)

Servers respond with HTTP status codes.

Code	Meaning
200	success
201	created
400	bad request
401	unauthorized
404	not found
500	server error

Example:

200 OK

means the request worked.

In n8n you’ll often see:

statusCode: 200

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7. Query parameters

These modify requests.

Example:

https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/top.json?t=week&limit=10

Parameters:

Parameter	Meaning
t=week	time range
limit=10	number of posts

These are called query parameters.

Syntax:

?key=value&key=value

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8. Headers

Headers send extra information.

Example:

Authorization: Bearer API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

Examples:

Header	Purpose
Authorization	API key
Content-Type	data format
User-Agent	client identifier

Reddit often requires:

User-Agent: my-app

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9. The REST request structure

A REST request has four parts.

METHOD
URL
HEADERS
BODY

Example:

POST /v1/pages
Host: api.notion.com
Authorization: Bearer xxx
Content-Type: application/json

Body:

{
 "title": "Research notes"
}

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10. Why this matters for you

Because understanding REST unlocks almost every modern tool.

Your stack already uses it:

Reddit API

GET /top.json

Notion API

POST /pages

OpenAI API

POST /chat/completions

n8n is basically:

REST API → process → REST API

Which means you are already learning backend system thinking.

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One deeper insight most beginners miss

REST APIs are basically databases exposed over the internet.

Example:

GET /users

is basically:

SELECT * FROM users

POST /users

is:

INSERT INTO users

Once you see that, the whole API ecosystem becomes much easier.

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