Building APIs is straightforward. Building production-ready APIs is not.
The difference lies in the dozens of concerns beyond basic functionality: authentication, authorization, validation, error handling, rate limiting, logging, documentation, versioning, and more. Traditionally, each of these adds hours or days to development time.
AI-powered code patterns change this equation. Instead of generating basic CRUD operations that need extensive hardening, platforms like Bootspring provide production-ready patterns that include all these concerns from the start.
This guide shows you how to build robust, scalable APIs in minutes using AI code patterns—APIs that are ready for real users from day one.
What Makes an API "Production-Ready"?#
Before diving in, let's define what production-ready means:
Functional Requirements#
- Correct business logic
- Complete CRUD operations
- Proper data relationships
Non-Functional Requirements#
- Authentication: Who is making this request?
- Authorization: Can they do what they're asking?
- Validation: Is their input correct and safe?
- Error Handling: Graceful failures with useful messages
- Rate Limiting: Protection against abuse
- Logging: Visibility into system behavior
- Monitoring: Awareness of issues
- Documentation: Clear API contracts
- Versioning: Safe evolution over time
- Performance: Fast response times at scale
Traditional API development addresses these incrementally. Pattern-based development includes them from the start.
The Pattern Approach#
Traditional Code Generation#
When you ask a basic AI assistant to create an API endpoint:
You: Create an API endpoint to get user profile
AI: Here's a simple endpoint:
```typescript
export async function GET(request: Request, { params }) {
const user = await db.user.findUnique({
where: { id: params.id }
});
return Response.json(user);
}
This works for demos but fails in production:
- No authentication
- No authorization (anyone can view anyone's profile)
- Exposes sensitive fields (password hash, etc.)
- No error handling
- No logging
- No rate limiting
### Pattern-Based Generation
With Bootspring's production patterns:
You: Create an API endpoint to get user profile
Bootspring Backend Expert: I'll use the authenticated-resource pattern.
1import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
2import { withAuth, requireOwnership } from '@/lib/api-middleware';
3import { db } from '@/lib/db';
4import { apiLogger } from '@/lib/logger';
5import { UserProfileSchema, sanitizeUser } from '@/lib/schemas/user';
6
7/**
8 * GET /api/users/[id]
9 * Retrieve user profile
10 *
11 * @access Authenticated users (own profile or admin)
12 * @rateLimit 100 requests/minute
13 */
14export const GET = withAuth(async (
15 request: NextRequest,
16 context: { params: { id: string } }
17) => {
18 const { user: currentUser } = request;
19 const { id } = context.params;
20
21 // Validate ID format
22 if (!id.match(/^[a-z0-9-]+$/i)) {
23 return NextResponse.json(
24 { error: 'Invalid user ID format' },
25 { status: 400 }
26 );
27 }
28
29 try {
30 // Fetch user
31 const user = await db.user.findUnique({
32 where: { id },
33 select: {
34 id: true,
35 email: true,
36 name: true,
37 avatar: true,
38 role: true,
39 createdAt: true,
40 // Sensitive fields explicitly excluded
41 }
42 });
43
44 if (!user) {
45 return NextResponse.json(
46 { error: 'User not found' },
47 { status: 404 }
48 );
49 }
50
51 // Authorization: own profile or admin
52 if (user.id !== currentUser.id && currentUser.role !== 'admin') {
53 apiLogger.warn('Unauthorized profile access attempt', {
54 requesterId: currentUser.id,
55 targetId: id
56 });
57 return NextResponse.json(
58 { error: 'Access denied' },
59 { status: 403 }
60 );
61 }
62
63 apiLogger.info('Profile retrieved', { userId: id });
64
65 return NextResponse.json({ user: sanitizeUser(user) });
66
67 } catch (error) {
68 apiLogger.error('Failed to retrieve profile', { error, userId: id });
69 return NextResponse.json(
70 { error: 'Failed to retrieve profile' },
71 { status: 500 }
72 );
73 }
74});
This pattern includes:
- Authentication via middleware
- Authorization (ownership check)
- Input validation
- Field selection (no sensitive data)
- Proper error handling
- Logging throughout
- Type safety
- Documentation comments
One request, production-ready code.
## Bootspring's API Patterns
Bootspring provides 100+ patterns, with extensive API coverage:
### Authentication Patterns
**JWT with Refresh Tokens:**
```typescript
// Secure JWT implementation with:
// - Short-lived access tokens (15 min)
// - Long-lived refresh tokens (7 days)
// - Token rotation on refresh
// - Revocation support
// - Secure cookie handling
bootspring.patterns.get('auth/jwt-refresh')
OAuth2 Integration:
1// Complete OAuth2 flow with:
2// - Multiple provider support
3// - PKCE for security
4// - Account linking
5// - Session management
6bootspring.patterns.get('auth/oauth2-providers')API Key Authentication:
1// API key auth with:
2// - Key hashing (never store plain)
3// - Scoped permissions
4// - Usage tracking
5// - Expiration support
6bootspring.patterns.get('auth/api-keys')CRUD Patterns#
Resource with Ownership:
1// Complete CRUD with:
2// - Owner-based access control
3// - Soft deletes
4// - Audit logging
5// - Pagination
6// - Filtering and sorting
7bootspring.patterns.get('crud/owned-resource')Multi-Tenant Resource:
// Tenant-scoped CRUD with:
// - Organization isolation
// - Role-based permissions
// - Cross-tenant prevention
bootspring.patterns.get('crud/multi-tenant')Payment Patterns#
Stripe Subscriptions:
1// Complete subscription system:
2// - Checkout sessions
3// - Webhook handling
4// - Plan management
5// - Usage-based billing
6// - Invoice handling
7// - Proration
8bootspring.patterns.get('payments/stripe-subscriptions')One-Time Payments:
1// Payment processing with:
2// - Idempotency
3// - Receipt generation
4// - Refund handling
5// - Fraud detection hooks
6bootspring.patterns.get('payments/one-time')Infrastructure Patterns#
Rate Limiting:
1// Intelligent rate limiting:
2// - Per-user limits
3// - Per-endpoint limits
4// - Sliding window algorithm
5// - Graceful degradation
6// - Redis-backed for distribution
7bootspring.patterns.get('infra/rate-limiting')Caching Layer:
1// Multi-tier caching:
2// - In-memory cache
3// - Redis cache
4// - Cache invalidation
5// - Stale-while-revalidate
6bootspring.patterns.get('infra/caching')Building a Complete API#
Let's build a complete task management API using patterns:
Step 1: Project Setup#
1# Initialize Next.js project
2npx create-next-app@latest task-api --typescript --app
3cd task-api
4
5# Add Bootspring
6npm install -g bootspring
7bootspring init
8bootspring connect
9
10# Install dependencies Bootspring will need
11npm install @prisma/client zod
12npm install -D prismaStep 2: Database Schema#
You: Create a database schema for a task management API with users,
projects, and tasks. Support team collaboration.
Database Expert: Creating schema with the multi-tenant pattern.
[Creates: prisma/schema.prisma]
1model User {
2 id String @id @default(cuid())
3 email String @unique
4 name String
5 avatar String?
6 createdAt DateTime @default(now())
7 updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt
8
9 // Relations
10 ownedProjects Project[]
11 projectMembers ProjectMember[]
12 assignedTasks Task[] @relation("assignee")
13 createdTasks Task[] @relation("creator")
14}
15
16model Project {
17 id String @id @default(cuid())
18 name String
19 description String?
20 ownerId String
21 createdAt DateTime @default(now())
22 updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt
23
24 // Relations
25 owner User @relation(fields: [ownerId], references: [id])
26 members ProjectMember[]
27 tasks Task[]
28
29 @@index([ownerId])
30}
31
32model ProjectMember {
33 id String @id @default(cuid())
34 projectId String
35 userId String
36 role Role @default(MEMBER)
37 createdAt DateTime @default(now())
38
39 project Project @relation(fields: [projectId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade)
40 user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade)
41
42 @@unique([projectId, userId])
43 @@index([userId])
44}
45
46model Task {
47 id String @id @default(cuid())
48 projectId String
49 title String
50 description String?
51 status TaskStatus @default(TODO)
52 priority Priority @default(MEDIUM)
53 dueDate DateTime?
54 assigneeId String?
55 creatorId String
56 createdAt DateTime @default(now())
57 updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt
58
59 project Project @relation(fields: [projectId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade)
60 assignee User? @relation("assignee", fields: [assigneeId], references: [id])
61 creator User @relation("creator", fields: [creatorId], references: [id])
62
63 @@index([projectId])
64 @@index([assigneeId])
65 @@index([status])
66}
67
68enum Role {
69 OWNER
70 ADMIN
71 MEMBER
72 VIEWER
73}
74
75enum TaskStatus {
76 TODO
77 IN_PROGRESS
78 IN_REVIEW
79 DONE
80}
81
82enum Priority {
83 LOW
84 MEDIUM
85 HIGH
86 URGENT
87}Step 3: Authentication#
You: Set up JWT authentication with refresh tokens for this API.
Backend Expert: Implementing the jwt-refresh pattern.
[Creates: lib/auth.ts]
[Creates: lib/api-middleware.ts]
[Creates: app/api/auth/login/route.ts]
[Creates: app/api/auth/refresh/route.ts]
[Creates: app/api/auth/logout/route.ts]
Step 4: Projects API#
You: Create the projects API with full CRUD and team management.
Backend Expert: Implementing with multi-tenant pattern.
[Creates: app/api/projects/route.ts]
1import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
2import { withAuth } from '@/lib/api-middleware';
3import { db } from '@/lib/db';
4import { apiLogger } from '@/lib/logger';
5import { createProjectSchema, projectQuerySchema } from '@/lib/schemas/project';
6
7/**
8 * GET /api/projects
9 * List projects for current user (owned or member)
10 */
11export const GET = withAuth(async (request: NextRequest) => {
12 const { user } = request;
13 const { searchParams } = new URL(request.url);
14
15 // Parse query params
16 const query = projectQuerySchema.safeParse({
17 page: searchParams.get('page'),
18 limit: searchParams.get('limit'),
19 search: searchParams.get('search'),
20 });
21
22 if (!query.success) {
23 return NextResponse.json(
24 { error: 'Invalid query parameters', details: query.error.flatten() },
25 { status: 400 }
26 );
27 }
28
29 const { page = 1, limit = 20, search } = query.data;
30
31 try {
32 const where = {
33 OR: [
34 { ownerId: user.id },
35 { members: { some: { userId: user.id } } }
36 ],
37 ...(search && {
38 OR: [
39 { name: { contains: search, mode: 'insensitive' } },
40 { description: { contains: search, mode: 'insensitive' } }
41 ]
42 })
43 };
44
45 const [projects, total] = await Promise.all([
46 db.project.findMany({
47 where,
48 include: {
49 owner: { select: { id: true, name: true, avatar: true } },
50 _count: { select: { tasks: true, members: true } }
51 },
52 orderBy: { updatedAt: 'desc' },
53 skip: (page - 1) * limit,
54 take: limit,
55 }),
56 db.project.count({ where })
57 ]);
58
59 return NextResponse.json({
60 projects,
61 pagination: {
62 page,
63 limit,
64 total,
65 pages: Math.ceil(total / limit)
66 }
67 });
68
69 } catch (error) {
70 apiLogger.error('Failed to list projects', { error, userId: user.id });
71 return NextResponse.json(
72 { error: 'Failed to list projects' },
73 { status: 500 }
74 );
75 }
76});
77
78/**
79 * POST /api/projects
80 * Create a new project
81 */
82export const POST = withAuth(async (request: NextRequest) => {
83 const { user } = request;
84
85 // Parse and validate body
86 const body = await request.json();
87 const parsed = createProjectSchema.safeParse(body);
88
89 if (!parsed.success) {
90 return NextResponse.json(
91 { error: 'Invalid input', details: parsed.error.flatten() },
92 { status: 400 }
93 );
94 }
95
96 const { name, description } = parsed.data;
97
98 try {
99 const project = await db.project.create({
100 data: {
101 name,
102 description,
103 ownerId: user.id,
104 // Auto-add owner as member with OWNER role
105 members: {
106 create: {
107 userId: user.id,
108 role: 'OWNER'
109 }
110 }
111 },
112 include: {
113 owner: { select: { id: true, name: true, avatar: true } },
114 members: {
115 include: {
116 user: { select: { id: true, name: true, avatar: true } }
117 }
118 }
119 }
120 });
121
122 apiLogger.info('Project created', {
123 projectId: project.id,
124 userId: user.id
125 });
126
127 return NextResponse.json({ project }, { status: 201 });
128
129 } catch (error) {
130 apiLogger.error('Failed to create project', { error, userId: user.id });
131 return NextResponse.json(
132 { error: 'Failed to create project' },
133 { status: 500 }
134 );
135 }
136});Step 5: Tasks API#
You: Create the tasks API with assignment, status changes, and filtering.
Backend Expert: Implementing with the owned-resource pattern.
[Creates: app/api/projects/[projectId]/tasks/route.ts]
[Creates: app/api/tasks/[id]/route.ts]
Step 6: Rate Limiting#
You: Add rate limiting to prevent abuse.
Backend Expert: Implementing the rate-limiting pattern.
[Creates: lib/rate-limit.ts]
[Updates: lib/api-middleware.ts]
1// lib/rate-limit.ts
2import { Ratelimit } from '@upstash/ratelimit';
3import { Redis } from '@upstash/redis';
4
5const redis = new Redis({
6 url: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_URL!,
7 token: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_TOKEN!,
8});
9
10// Different limits for different endpoints
11export const rateLimits = {
12 // General API: 100 requests per minute
13 api: new Ratelimit({
14 redis,
15 limiter: Ratelimit.slidingWindow(100, '1m'),
16 prefix: 'ratelimit:api',
17 }),
18
19 // Auth endpoints: stricter limits
20 auth: new Ratelimit({
21 redis,
22 limiter: Ratelimit.slidingWindow(10, '1m'),
23 prefix: 'ratelimit:auth',
24 }),
25
26 // Write operations: moderate limits
27 write: new Ratelimit({
28 redis,
29 limiter: Ratelimit.slidingWindow(30, '1m'),
30 prefix: 'ratelimit:write',
31 }),
32};
33
34export async function checkRateLimit(
35 limiter: Ratelimit,
36 identifier: string
37): Promise<{ success: boolean; remaining: number; reset: number }> {
38 const { success, remaining, reset } = await limiter.limit(identifier);
39 return { success, remaining, reset };
40}Step 7: Documentation#
You: Generate OpenAPI documentation for this API.
Documentation Agent: Generating API documentation.
[Creates: app/api/docs/route.ts]
[Creates: lib/openapi.ts]
Results: Complete API in Hours#
What we built:
- Full authentication system
- Projects CRUD with team management
- Tasks CRUD with filtering and assignment
- Rate limiting
- Comprehensive logging
- Input validation
- Error handling
- API documentation
Time: 2-3 hours instead of 2-3 weeks
Each pattern applied includes production concerns that would otherwise require separate implementation efforts.
Pattern Composition#
The real power comes from composing patterns:
1// Combining multiple patterns for a complex endpoint
2export const POST = compose(
3 withAuth, // Authentication pattern
4 withRateLimit('write'), // Rate limiting pattern
5 withValidation(taskSchema), // Validation pattern
6 withAuditLog('task.create'), // Audit logging pattern
7 withCache({ ttl: 60 }), // Caching pattern
8)(async (request) => {
9 // Core business logic only
10 const task = await createTask(request.validated);
11 return NextResponse.json({ task });
12});Each pattern is composable and reusable. Build once, apply everywhere.
Getting Started with Bootspring Patterns#
1# Install
2npm install -g bootspring
3
4# Initialize
5bootspring init
6
7# Connect
8bootspring connect
9
10# List available patterns
11bootspring patterns list
12
13# Apply a pattern
14bootspring patterns apply auth/jwt-refresh
15
16# Generate API from description
17claude "Create a REST API for [your resource]"Conclusion#
Production-ready APIs don't have to take weeks to build. With AI-powered code patterns, you get:
- Complete implementations: Not just CRUD, but auth, validation, error handling, logging
- Best practices baked in: Security, performance, maintainability
- Consistency: Same patterns across your entire API
- Speed: Hours instead of weeks
Bootspring's 100+ production patterns encode years of API development experience. Each pattern handles the concerns that differentiate hobby projects from production systems.
Stop building APIs from scratch. Start building on proven patterns and ship production-ready APIs in minutes.
Ready to build production APIs faster? Start with Bootspring and access 100+ production-ready patterns.