API / Swagger Interview questions

Define paths in an OpenAPI document?

The paths object is the section of an OpenAPI document that enumerates every available endpoint (URL template) in the API, and for each one, which HTTP methods (operations) it supports.

paths:
  /users/{userId}:
    get:
      summary: Get a user by ID
      parameters:
        - name: userId
          in: path
          required: true
          schema:
            type: integer
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A user object

Each key under paths is a URL template, which may include path parameters in curly braces like {userId} above, and each key nested under that path (get, post, put, delete, and so on) describes one operation available at that path, including its parameters, request body, and possible responses.

This structure is what a tool like Swagger UI reads to build its list of endpoints, and it's also the primary thing code generators traverse to produce one method per operation in a generated client SDK.

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What does a key under the paths object represent? A database table name

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A URL template for an endpoint

✓ Correct! Well done.

A user's password

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How is a path parameter denoted in the URL template? With curly braces, like {userId}

✓ Correct! Well done.

With square brackets, like [userId]

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With a dollar sign, like $userId

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