To expose a video search API for external clients, you need to design a well-structured interface, implement secure access controls, and provide clear documentation. Start by defining the API endpoints using RESTful principles or a GraphQL schema, depending on your use case. For example, a REST API might include a /search endpoint that accepts parameters like query, filters (e.g., date range, video duration), and pagination (e.g., limit and offset). Use HTTP methods like GET for search operations, and structure responses in JSON format with fields such as video_id, title, thumbnail_url, and metadata. Ensure the API returns standardized HTTP status codes (e.g., 200 for success, 400 for invalid parameters) to help clients handle errors.
Next, secure the API with authentication and authorization mechanisms. For external clients, API keys are a common approach: clients include a unique key in request headers, which your backend validates before processing. To enhance security, use HTTPS to encrypt data in transit and consider rate limiting (e.g., allowing 100 requests per minute per API key) to prevent abuse. For more sensitive systems, OAuth 2.0 can delegate authentication to trusted providers like Google or Microsoft. Additionally, validate all input parameters to avoid injection attacks or malformed queries. For instance, sanitize search terms to block SQL injection attempts and enforce strict type checks for numeric filters like limit.
Finally, provide comprehensive documentation and tools to help clients integrate effectively. Use tools like Swagger/OpenAPI to create interactive documentation that lists endpoints, parameters, and example requests/responses. Include code samples in languages like Python or JavaScript to demonstrate how to call the API. For scalability, deploy the API behind a load balancer and use caching (e.g., Redis) for frequently searched queries to reduce database load. Monitor performance with tools like Prometheus or Grafana to identify bottlenecks. For example, if search latency increases during peak hours, you might optimize database indexes or add more API server instances. Regularly update clients about API changes through versioning (e.g., /v1/search) and maintain backward compatibility where possible.