Quick Answer
A endpoint is the URI that references an accessible resource on a server. In the context of web APIs, an endpoint references specific code that handles the request and returns an appropriate response.
Digging Deeper
Endpoints and URIs are technology synonymous and are thus used interchangeably. However, it is common for web API documentation to use the term endpoint when it only wants to provide URI paths. For instance:
| Method | Endpoint | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| /customers | Create a new customer. |
GET | /customers/{ID} | Read a specified customer . |
PUT | /customers/{ID} | Update a specified customer. |
DELETE | /customers/{ID} | Delete a specified customer. |
In this format, the host portion of the URI (e.g., https://www.examples.org) is removed (although likely documented elsewhere) and only the path is referenced (e.g., /customers).
