🌍 Project Resourceful: Sponsor a Woman in Data Engineering
Learn More
Live CohortAdvanced

The API Ecosystem: REST, GraphQL, gRPC

APIs are the connective tissue of modern applications. This advanced course teaches you to choose and build the right API architecture for your needs. Master REST API design with proper resource modeling, HTTP methods, status codes, and versioning strategies. Learn GraphQL to give clients exactly the data they need—eliminating over-fetching and under-fetching. Build high-performance gRPC services with Protocol Buffers for microservices communication. Understand when to use each: REST for public APIs and simplicity, GraphQL for complex client needs and rapid iteration, gRPC for internal services and performance. Implement authentication (JWT, OAuth), authorization, rate limiting, and API security best practices. Master API documentation with OpenAPI/Swagger, GraphQL introspection, and interactive API explorers. Learn versioning strategies, deprecation policies, and backward compatibility. Build real-time features with WebSockets and Server-Sent Events. Study API design from Stripe, GitHub, and Shopify. By graduation, you will design APIs that developers love to use, that scale effortlessly, and that stand the test of time.

8 weeks
Duration
Live
Format
Weekly
Tasks
Apr 1
Starts
Desmond Oben

Led by

Desmond Oben

Join the Cohort

Limited spots available for the next intake.

Next Cohort Starts

Wed, April 1, 2026

Women's Day Offer

Pay the application fee by March 31, 2026 to allow us to review your application and lock in this 20% tuition discount.

Tuition:XAF 380,000
Application Fee?XAF 10,000
XAF 480,000
Start Application →

Fee required to secure your interview slot.

Weekly Live Sessions

Interactive zoom classes with Desmond Oben

Real-time Task Reviews

Get feedback on your weekly assignments

Community Access

Join the private discord for 24/7 support

What You'll Learn

Design and build production-ready REST APIs
Implement GraphQL servers and optimize queries
Build high-performance gRPC services
Choose the right API architecture for specific use cases
Implement API security, authentication, and rate limiting
Create comprehensive API documentation

Real-World Projects You'll Build

1

Social Media API

Build a complete API for a social platform with REST, GraphQL, and real-time features

Technologies:

RESTGraphQLWebSocketRedisPostgreSQL

Outcomes:

  • →RESTful endpoints
  • →GraphQL schema
  • →Real-time subscriptions
  • →Comprehensive docs
2

Microservices Communication

Implement gRPC-based communication between microservices

Technologies:

gRPCProtocol BuffersService meshLoad balancing

Outcomes:

  • →gRPC services
  • →Inter-service communication
  • →Streaming data
  • →Error handling
3

API Gateway

Build an API gateway that aggregates REST, GraphQL, and gRPC services

Technologies:

API GatewayMultiple protocolsAuthenticationRate limiting

Outcomes:

  • →Unified API gateway
  • →Protocol translation
  • →Auth layer
  • →Analytics

Your Weekly Journey

8 weeks • Live Format

Week 1API Design Fundamentals

Core principles of great API design

Topics Covered:

  • •API design principles
  • •Resource modeling
  • •HTTP methods and status codes
  • •API versioning strategies
  • •Error handling patterns
API design document
Resource models
Error response standards
Versioning strategy

Week 2REST API Mastery

Build production-grade RESTful APIs

Topics Covered:

  • •RESTful principles
  • •HATEOAS
  • •Pagination and filtering
  • •Sorting and searching
  • •Caching with ETags
Complete REST API
Pagination implementation
Caching strategy
API testing

Week 3GraphQL Fundamentals

Build flexible GraphQL APIs

Topics Covered:

  • •GraphQL schema design
  • •Queries and mutations
  • •Resolvers and data loaders
  • •Schema stitching
  • •Subscriptions for real-time
GraphQL schema
Query implementation
Real-time subscriptions
Data loader optimization

Week 4Advanced GraphQL

Optimize and scale GraphQL

Topics Covered:

  • •N+1 query problem
  • •Query complexity analysis
  • •Persisted queries
  • •Federation
  • •Security and depth limiting
Optimized resolvers
Query complexity limits
Federation setup
Security implementation

Week 5gRPC Services

Build high-performance microservices

Topics Covered:

  • •Protocol Buffers
  • •gRPC service definition
  • •Streaming (unary, server, client, bidirectional)
  • •Error handling in gRPC
  • •Load balancing
Proto definitions
gRPC service
Streaming implementation
Client library

Week 6API Security

Secure your APIs properly

Topics Covered:

  • •Authentication strategies (JWT, OAuth)
  • •Authorization and permissions
  • •Rate limiting
  • •API keys and secrets
  • •CORS and security headers
Auth system
Rate limiter
Permission framework
Security audit

Week 7API Documentation

Create developer-friendly documentation

Topics Covered:

  • •OpenAPI/Swagger
  • •GraphQL introspection
  • •API reference generation
  • •Code examples
  • •Interactive documentation
OpenAPI spec
GraphQL documentation
Code samples
Interactive docs

Week 8Production Best Practices

Deploy and maintain APIs

Topics Covered:

  • •API monitoring and analytics
  • •Versioning and deprecation
  • •Backward compatibility
  • •API testing strategies
  • •Developer experience
Monitoring dashboard
Deprecation policy
Test suite
Developer portal

Capstone Projects

Apply everything you've learned in real-world projects

Social Media API
Microservices Communication
API Gateway

Skills You'll Master

GraphQLgRPCRESTAPI Documentation

Job-Ready Guarantee

Our curriculum is designed to get you hired. 92% of our graduates land a job within 6 months.

Your Mentor

Desmond Oben

Desmond Oben

Backend Lead

API architect who designed APIs serving 100M+ requests/day, GraphQL core contributor

Career Opportunities

  • API Developer
  • Backend Engineer
  • Platform Engineer
  • Solutions Architect
  • API Product Manager