API & Backend Development for Performance & Scale

REST is the right choice for most public APIs, simple CRUD operations, and when working with teams unfamiliar with GraphQL. GraphQL excels when clients have diverse data requirements, mobile apps need to minimise over-fetching, or you're building a BFF (Backend for Frontend) layer. Many of our projects use both — a public REST API and an internal GraphQL API for the product frontend.

We implement defence in depth: input validation on every request, parameterised queries to prevent injection, JWT signature verification, CORS whitelisting, rate limiting per user and IP, brute-force protection, security headers (HSTS, CSP), and infrastructure-level WAF rules. All APIs undergo OWASP API Security Top 10 review before launch.

Start with a well-structured monolith — it is faster to build, easier to debug, and simpler to deploy. Migrate to microservices when you have identified specific bottlenecks, need independent scaling of particular domains, or have separate teams that cannot coordinate deployment safely. We actively discourage premature microservices for products under 12 months old.

We use URL path versioning (v1, v2) for public APIs due to its explicitness and simplicity. For internal APIs, we use header-based versioning or GraphQL schema evolution with deprecation directives. We maintain deprecated versions for a minimum of 12 months after announcing sunset dates, giving integrators ample migration time.

We implement distributed rate limiting using Redis with sliding window or token bucket algorithms, configurable per API key, user tier, and endpoint. Limits are communicated via standard headers (X-RateLimit-*), breaches return proper 429 responses with Retry-After headers, and we provide higher rate limit tiers for enterprise customers with SLA commitments.