Build a REST API with AI by designing the public contract before generating handlers. Define resources, operations, request and response schemas, authentication, authorization, error semantics, pagination, idempotency, and compatibility expectations. Then ask the agent to implement one resource end to end.
Give the agent examples of valid, invalid, missing, forbidden, and conflicting requests. Specify where validation occurs and which layer owns business rules. Generate a machine-readable contract when it fits the project, but review it as carefully as code. Add tests at the boundary and service layer, including permission failures and repeated requests. Keep database transactions explicit. Ask the agent to run the project’s checks and show the exact output, then inspect logs and responses to ensure sensitive data is not exposed.
Avoid generating many endpoints before one contract is proven. Inconsistent naming, status behavior, and authorization compound quickly. For an existing API, preserve compatibility unless the spec includes versioning, migration, and consumer communication. Do not let a framework default silently become product policy.
Release behind a controlled environment or feature flag when risk warrants it. Review the diff, contract, tests, and rollback together. AI can accelerate implementation and coverage, while a stable API still depends on deliberate semantics and evidence that clients receive the promised behavior.
