Free online courseBuild a RESTful API

Course Description

Learn how to design, build, and deploy a production-style RESTful API using a modern serverless backend. In this free online course, you will create an API powered by Firebase Cloud Functions and Firestore, connecting a clean Express-based HTTP layer to a scalable database so your endpoints can evolve from a simple prototype into a real project. If you want backend development skills that translate to freelance work, portfolio projects, or junior developer roles, this course helps you practice the essentials in a way that mirrors real-world API building.

You will start by setting up Firebase correctly, then structure a JavaScript web app that can run as a Cloud Function while still following familiar backend patterns. Along the way, you will see how Express organizes routes, request handling, and responses, making it easier to keep your code readable as the API grows. Firestore is used as the data layer, so you can work with a database designed for strong querying, flexible schemas, and cloud scaling without managing servers.

From there, you will implement the core REST operations for a simple product resource. You will practice creating new records securely, reading an item by ID, returning collections of items, and making safe updates and deletions. The focus is on understanding the API workflow end to end: validating requests, mapping routes to database operations, shaping consistent JSON responses, and handling common edge cases so your endpoints behave predictably.

Finally, you will test your CRUD behavior the way backend developers do in everyday work, using Postman to verify requests and responses before publishing. Once the API works locally, you will deploy it as a Firebase Cloud Function and re-test the live endpoints to confirm everything behaves the same in a hosted environment. By the end, you will have hands-on experience with a practical stack and a clearer understanding of what it takes to ship a RESTful API that is easy to use, simple to maintain, and ready to demonstrate in your portfolio.