REST API design patterns — response envelopes, pagination, filtering, status codes, and resource naming
87
83%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
98%
1.78xAverage score across 4 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
{
"context": "Tests whether the agent applies REST API design patterns when building a user management API: consistent response envelopes, pagination, filtering and sorting via query parameters, correct status codes, and PATCH semantics.",
"type": "weighted_checklist",
"checklist": [
{
"name": "success-response-envelope",
"description": "Success responses wrap the resource or resource array in a { data: ... } envelope",
"max_score": 10
},
{
"name": "error-response-envelope",
"description": "Error responses use a consistent { error: { code: '...', message: '...' } } structure",
"max_score": 8
},
{
"name": "list-endpoint-paginated",
"description": "The list users endpoint supports pagination via query parameters rather than returning all users",
"max_score": 10
},
{
"name": "filtering-by-role-and-status",
"description": "The list endpoint supports filtering by role and status via query parameters",
"max_score": 10
},
{
"name": "sorting-support",
"description": "The list endpoint supports sorting by at least name and registration date via a query parameter with a consistent convention",
"max_score": 8
},
{
"name": "search-support",
"description": "The list endpoint supports searching users by name or email partial match via a query parameter",
"max_score": 6
},
{
"name": "201-for-post",
"description": "The POST create user endpoint returns 201 Created on success",
"max_score": 8
},
{
"name": "409-for-duplicate-email",
"description": "Creating a user with a duplicate email returns 409 Conflict",
"max_score": 6
},
{
"name": "patch-partial-update",
"description": "The update endpoint uses PATCH and only modifies fields present in the request body",
"max_score": 10
},
{
"name": "plural-noun-resource-path",
"description": "Resource URLs use plural nouns (e.g., /users) with no verbs in the path",
"max_score": 6
},
{
"name": "deactivate-not-delete",
"description": "Deactivation is implemented as a PATCH to update the status field (or a specific sub-resource), not as a DELETE that removes the record",
"max_score": 6
},
{
"name": "404-for-not-found",
"description": "Requests for a non-existent user ID return 404 with an error envelope",
"max_score": 6
},
{
"name": "safe-defaults",
"description": "List endpoint has safe defaults — default sort order, default page size, and clamped maximum limit",
"max_score": 6
}
]
}