API versioning is a crucial aspect of building and maintaining APIs, as it allows developers to introduce changes to their API without breaking existing client applications. In essence, it involves creating different versions of an API that coexist and function independently of each other. This is particularly important as APIs evolve over time and new features are added or old ones are removed.
There are different approaches to API versioning, including URL versioning, header versioning, and media type versioning. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, and choosing the right one depends on the specific use case and the needs of the API's users.
What Is URL Versioning?
URL versioning is an approach to API versioning where the version number is included in the URL itself. Typically, the version number is appended to the base URL of the API, separated by a forward slash. For example, if the base URL of an API is ‘https://example.com/api’, and the current version is version 1, the URL for a resource might look like this: ‘https://example.com/api/v1/resource’.