API design and microservices standards: REST, openapi and events

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 9 details that are specific to your organisation.

Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At onboarding
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Designing and versioning an API
What would you do?

You need to rename a field

Try it: this is one of 17 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Scenario, process, timeline, accordion and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, poll, ranking, word cloud slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 331.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment-Whole course
SO 331.1Match an operation to the right HTTP method and status codeHTTP semantics (RFC 9110)Whole course
SO 331.2Describe an API in a contract-first way and keep the contract in step with the code + your infoOpenAPI SpecificationWhole course
SO 331.3Version and change an API without breaking existing callers + your infoBest practice; organisation API style guideWhole course
SO 331.4Choose between a monolith, microservices and events for a scenario and explain the trade-offBest practiceWhole course
SO 331.5Handle failure with retries, timeouts and idempotencyBest practiceWhole course
SO 331.6Spot the common API security mistakes before releaseOWASP API Security Top 10Whole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 9 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

An API change that broke three teams

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
The renameQtyQuantityTextImage
What went wrongTimelineQuiz
2

HTTP, REST and status codes

3 pages

7 min
Methods at a glanceAccordion
Pick the codeSorting activity
CheckFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

Designing and versioning an API

3 pages

7 min
Contract firstProcess
A breaking change?ScenarioQuiz
Style guideNoteYour info
4

Monolith, microservices and events

3 pages

7 min
Trade-offsTable
Choose for the caseScenarioQuiz
EventsTabs
5

Queues and failure handling

3 pages

7 min
When calls failProcess
The double chargeScenarioQuiz
CheckMulti-select quiz
6

API security and final assessment

2 pages

5 min
Before it shipsChecklistYour infoYour info
PracticeQuizKey factNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "bring an API you call every week
PollHow are changes announced to callers of your API?
QuizWhich status fits "created a new order"? (201 ✔ · 200 · 204 · 302)
Content · customiseMethods, codes and the versioning rule {{API_STYLE_GUIDE_LINK}}
RankingOrder these steps before a release: contract diff, consumer check, test, announce, deploy
QuizA retry created two payments. The fix? (An idempotency key ✔)
Word cloudThe worst API surprise you have met
ScaleHow confident are you making a non-breaking change?
Q&AAsk the trainer anything
Content · customiseClosing {{HELP_CONTACT}}, {{COURSE_URL}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. Confidence in methods and codes · contracts · versioning · events · API security grid
  6. How does your team learn that a change is breaking? multiple choice
  7. What API decision are you least sure about? short text
  8. I can raise a doubt about an API change without feeling judged. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the API style guide and contract review step? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

9 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Link to the organisation API style guide{{API_STYLE_GUIDE_LINK}}
  • Security team contact{{SECURITY_CONTACT}}
  • Link to the engineering standards or style guide{{ENGINEERING_STANDARDS_LINK}}
  • Where completion is recorded{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
  • Link to the post-course and 30-day survey{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Who to ask for help or to report a concern{{HELP_CONTACT}}
Show all 9 fields
  • Link to the self-paced course{{COURSE_URL}}
  • List of approved tools and versions{{APPROVED_TOOLS}}
  • Link to the baseline survey{{SURVEY_1_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run API design and microservices standards: REST, openapi and events training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At onboarding, and before an API style guide or versioning policy is introduced.

Who needs this training?

Back-end engineers, integration developers and API product owners; run by platform engineering leads with L&D.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.