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Understanding APIs and RESTful APIs Crash Course (Udemy.com)

An introduction to how APIs and RESTful APIs work. No coding in this course, it's all conceptual.

4.5
25,435 reviews

Created by: Kalob Taulien

Last updated February 2024

Our take

Based on the ratings of 25,435 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in February 2024. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a short, conceptual primer on APIs. There is no coding, apart from one live JavaScript demo, and the whole thing runs about 43 minutes across 22 lectures. It covers REST, JSON, CRUD, the main request methods, HTTP status codes, and requests and responses. The listing says it suits intermediate developers, but the reviews suggest the real fit is people who have never touched an API, including non-coders.

Praise is steady and specific. Reviewers like the restaurant waiter analogy, the plain examples and Kalob Taulien's energy, and one person used it as a fast overview before an interview. The complaints are consistent too. The Google Slides and attachments no longer open, the SWAPI demo site is gone, and the JSON example shows up without much explanation, which confused a couple of beginners. Others found it too basic, with nothing on OAuth, tokens or API keys, and one reviewer called the style repetitive.

The last update was February 2024, and some links have since died. About 87 percent of the ratings are four or five stars, so most people leave satisfied, and the lower ratings are where the gripes live. It is a fair pick for an hour of orientation and nothing more. Developers who already know HTTP will find it thin, and anyone who learns by doing should pair it with a hands-on tutorial.

Best forNon-coders who need a quick, jargon-light picture of what an API is before an interview.
Skip it ifYou want to build or call APIs yourself, or need OAuth, tokens and API keys covered.

Pros

  • The restaurant waiter analogy makes requests and responses click for newcomers
  • Short at about 43 minutes, so it fits in one sitting
  • Covers REST, JSON, CRUD, request methods and HTTP status codes in plain language
  • Instructor is energetic and engaging, even in some of the lower-rated reviews

Cons

  • Google Slides and attachments no longer open, according to several reviewers
  • Demo relies on the outdated SWAPI site, and JSON is used before it is explained
  • No hands-on practice, and nothing on OAuth, tokens or API keys
It's a great start for anyone who is overwhelmed by the concept!
Lusanda Vilane, a student

Billed for intermediate devs and non-coders; first-time learners liked it, though JSON trips some.

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What you will learn

  • What APIs are
  • How APIs work
  • What a RESTful API is
  • What JSON is
  • How computers talk to each other
  • CRUD Operations
  • The 5 main request methods (GET, POST, PUT/PATCH, DELETE)
  • HTTP status codes
  • How to understand APIs as if they were real people
  • HTTP Requests and Responses

Course content

3 sections · 22 lectures · 43 min of video 4 articles

  1. 1Introduction 3 free previews3 lectures · 2 min
  2. 2Understanding APIs and RESTful APIs 4 free previews15 lectures · 37 min
  3. 3Summary4 lectures · 4 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Intermediate Web Developers OR Eager Junior Web Developers
  • Non-coders who want to learn about inter-computer communications
  • This course is NOT for junior developers who are brand new to coding (not yet, anyway!)
  • This course is NOT for senior developers who already have knowledge about APIs and how they work

What you need before you start

  • You should probably be an intermediate developer by now OR be a junior developer who's trying to level up their skills
  • OR You should be interested in learning more about communication between computers (you don't need to be a coder if you fit into this category)

How it compares

Against the other 815 rated Udemy courses in Web Development on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 51% of them
  • Reviews25,435#6 of 816 by number of reviews
  • Length0.7 hoursshorter than 99% of them
  • Last updatedFebruary 2024earlier than 61% of them

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Course Description

In this course you will learn about APIs and RESTful APIs, and how they work. There is no coding in this course.

By the end of this course you will completely understand how APIs work, and how computers talk to each other. You'll also be familiar with RESTful APIs which make use of the HTTP protocol. If that sounded confusing, scary, or overly technical — it's not — it's just a fancy way of saying "it uses the internet".

The goal of this course is to help you understand APIs and RESTful APIs without needing to write any code. So next time someone says "API" you will know exactly what they are talking about (and you'll also know it's not really that technical or fancy, but that'll be our secret ;)

———

This course is designed to remove the sense of overwhelm and "scariness" when we start to talk about APIs. APIs and RESTful APIs come across as difficult or advanced subjects, but really it's just two computers talking to each other and exchanging commands and data. No different than when your friend sends you a text message, and you text back.

I'll give you several easy to remember metaphors so APIs don't feel scary or overwhelming, too.

APIs can be written and used by most programming languages, so we're not writing any code, although I do provide a live JavaScript demo.

All the slides will be provided for you, as well as reference material for when you've graduated this course and you're ready to take on the world of APIs.

———

This course is only 45 minutes, but I promise you that's all the time you'll need — not because I'm a good teacher, but because APIs are seriously that simple once someone takes the time to explain them.

Read More Beginner Beginner Level product length iconTime: 42 mins

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Instructor Details

Kalob Taulien

He is a professional web developer who's been developing websites and working with startups since 1999. He also has a broad set of skills in software, web development, and information technology.

Teaching over 450,000 students on Udemy alone, he's helped hundreds of thousands of people learn web development. From zero to hero and novice to ninja, he's considered a top teacher by thousands. With so much experience, why not give his experience and knowledge to others so they can fulfill their dreams?

The passion to learn and to share his knowledge by teaching and helping others is something that drives him. It's a passion he's had since he was born. Kalob's ability to turn complex programming concepts into easy-to-understands bits of knowledge has been called his "superpower". 

Throughout the years, Kalob has built hundreds, if not thousands, of websites, and has created multiple companies from his ideas and software. He also provides one-on-one coaching and startup consulting to new organizations. 

Teaching isn't an option in Kalob's life, but a moral obligation to pass on knowledge to others.

Read More

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Reviews

4.5

25,435 ratings on Udemy

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By Ruth Nkuna-Nkambule on 9/1/2026

It was my first time learning about API, the sign of mastery is simplicity. if you can explain something like explaining to a child, then you are a pro. Facilitator is a pro. he managed to simplify the concept. I also loved the examples. Thank you!

By Jorge Edmundo Ortiz Duran on 7/26/2026

Necesitaba tener un panorama general rápido para una entrevista y esto me lo dio, después estudiaré más profundamente el tema pero con esto pude salir del problema

By Zoltan Nagy on 7/15/2026

This course was all I needed to have an idea about APIs and to be able to talk about at an interview if someone asks about this topic. Brilliant, recommended!

By Bishu Dey on 7/13/2026

The instructor provided the course material in a very simplified fashion. It was easy to grasp the information and his method of explanation was great!

By Valerie McLane on 6/15/2026

The course was broken down into digestible topics, with a great analogy carried throughout. Since it was a short course, I appreciated that he got to the point without over-explaining, which was perfect for my attention span.

By Marcela Juris on 6/8/2026

A very simple and. Lear explanation to a very technical topic. If you are in testing this is a very Good course to start backend testing

By Theophilus Onime on 5/29/2026

Great explanations, fun delivery, great editing, and love how this is broken into categorized minute chunks as opposed to one long daunting-looking video.

By Jeremy Giese on 5/20/2026

I think talking about APIs as though they only exist on the web is a mistake. An API is generally ANY interface that allows one program rather than computer to talk to another. This includes DLLs, and libraries in Linux.

By Lebogang Mosopa on 5/19/2026

Amazing, amazing amazing. I would def listen to you the whole day. The lectures were way above my expectations, and the instructor was fun made use of real-time examples.

By Joonas Joensuu on 4/27/2026

This is marketed as an intermediate/enthusiastic junior developer course, but it's so dumbed down it could be aimed at high schoolers. I know it's supposed to be a short crash course, but given the target audience the time used for dumbing down and explaining the basics could have been used to explain the concepts a bit more just than a very cursory view. I believe the whole thing could have been condensed to a 5-10 min video. Not worth the money.

By Michael Aragon on 10/20/2020

So far....but we shall see

By Gordon Welches on 10/14/2020

This was perfect for me as I needed an understanding of what an API is and how it is used.

Showing 12 of 99 reviews

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Overall Score : 90 / 100

Understanding APIs and RESTful APIs Crash Course
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 42 mins
  • Price: $15.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon February 2024
  • Level: Beginner Beginner
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:22 in 3 sections
  • Students:80,100
  • Subtitles:22 languages
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