REST API Online Test

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This REST API online test comprises 25 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) designed to assess and enhance your understanding of RESTful API design and development. The questions cover a broad spectrum of topics essential to REST API, including HTTP methods, status codes, best practices, security concerns, and advanced features such as HATEOAS (Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State) and caching strategies.

1. What does REST stand for?

a) Representational State Transfer

b) Reliable Server Technology

c) Responsive State Transfer

d) Real-time Simple Transfer

2. Which HTTP method should be used to retrieve a resource?

a) GET

b) POST

c) DELETE

d) PUT

3. What is idempotency in the context of HTTP methods?

a) The ability to modify a resource without changing its state

b) The ability to repeatedly make the same request without side effects

c) The requirement to change the URI every time a request is made

d) The use of different methods to achieve the same results

4. What status code is typically used to indicate a successful POST request?

a) 200 OK

b) 201 Created

c) 204 No Content

d) 202 Accepted

5. Which of the following best defines a resource in a RESTful architecture?

a) A method that retrieves data from the server

b) Any information that can be named

c) A JavaScript function that handles HTTP requests

d) A server that hosts data

6. What is the primary role of an HTTP header in a REST API?

a) To provide the status code of the HTTP response

b) To carry metadata about the HTTP operation

c) To transport the REST API's data payload

d) To encrypt the message content

7. What HTTP status code indicates that a request cannot be fulfilled because of bad syntax?

a) 400 Bad Request

b) 404 Not Found

c) 500 Internal Server Error

d) 403 Forbidden

8. Which HTTP method is used to update a specific part of an existing resource?

a) GET

b) POST

c) PUT

d) PATCH

9. In RESTful APIs, what is the preferred medium (data format) for exchanging data?

a) XML

b) HTML

c) JSON

d) SOAP

10. What does the HTTP 202 Accepted status code signify?

a) The request has been accepted for processing, but the processing has not been completed.

b) The request has been successfully processed.

c) The server has not found anything matching the Request-URI.

d) The server has fulfilled the request but does not need to return an entity-body.

11. Which of the following is a constraint of the REST architectural style?

a) Stateful operations

b) Stateless operations

c) Client-side sessions

d) Persistent connections

12. What is the primary function of a URI in a RESTful service?

a) To specify the method to be used

b) To provide the media type of the response

c) To identify a resource

d) To secure the communication

13. Which of the following response codes corresponds to the "Forbidden" status?

a) 200

b) 401

c) 403

d) 404

14. What is the function of the Content-Type header in HTTP requests and responses?

a) To specify the DNS settings for the request

b) To set the language of the response

c) To describe the type of data being sent

d) To define the compression method

15. PUT request is used for _______ the resource.

a) Uploading

b) Inserting

c) Updating

d) Modifying

16. What does caching enhance in a REST architecture?

a) Security

b) Client data storage

c) Network efficiency and responsiveness

d) Complexity of interactions

17. Which method would be used to remove a resource from a server?

a) GET

b) POST

c) DELETE

d) CONNECT

18. What status code should you return to indicate a method that isn't allowed on a resource?

a) 400

b) 405

c) 501

d) 503

19. How does HATEOAS benefit REST APIs?

a) It allows clients to dynamically navigate the API

b) It reduces the size of API responses

c) It increases the speed of server responses

d) It simplifies the API to a single endpoint

20. What is a common tool used to test REST APIs?

a) Selenium

b) Jenkins

c) Postman

d) Git

21. What is the main reason for versioning a REST API?

a) To track the number of requests

b) To maintain backward compatibility

c) To secure the API

d) To reduce memory usage

22. Which architecture style does REST conform to?

a) Peer-to-peer

b) Client-server

c) Broker

d) Event-driven

23. Which status code indicates that a requested resource is not available yet, but may become available in the future?

a) 204 No Content

b) 404 Not Found

c) 503 Service Unavailable

d) 202 Accepted

24. In REST API design, what is the primary purpose of using HATEOAS (Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State)?

a) To authenticate users requesting the API

b) To enhance the discoverability of the API through hypermedia links

c) To increase the security of the API

d) To reduce the size of the response payloads

25. What HTTP method should be used to update only a few attributes of a resource in a RESTful API?

a) PATCH

b) PUT

c) POST

d) GET