Apex REST Services

Introduction to Apex REST Services

Apex REST services allow you to expose your Salesforce data and functionality to external applications through RESTful APIs. This means that you can interact with Salesforce from outside the platform using standard HTTP methods. By utilizing the @RestResource annotation, developers can create custom endpoints tailored to specific needs.

Creating a Basic Apex REST Service

To create a basic REST service in Apex, you need to define an Apex class with the @RestResource annotation. This annotation specifies the URL mapping for the REST service. Within this class, you can define methods for different HTTP request types such as GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc., using the @HttpGet, @HttpPost, @HttpPut, and @HttpDelete annotations respectively.

Handling HTTP Methods

Each HTTP method serves a specific purpose. The @HttpGet method is used to retrieve data, @HttpPost to create new records, @HttpPut to update existing records, and @HttpDelete to remove records. Below is an example of how you can handle a POST request to create a new Account record.

Testing Apex REST Services

Testing your Apex REST services is crucial to ensure they work as expected. You can use tools like Postman or cURL to simulate HTTP requests to your service endpoints. Ensure that you have the correct Salesforce authentication tokens when making these requests. Here's an example of how you might test a GET method using cURL:

Error Handling and Best Practices

Proper error handling is essential in REST services. Use try-catch blocks to handle exceptions and return meaningful error messages to the client. Always ensure you are following best practices such as enforcing security with proper authentication and authorization, validating inputs, and providing clear and concise API documentation.