7 Ways to Make Your API Faster

Here is a summary of the article "7 Ways to Make Your API Faster" in my own words:

The number one rule in optimizing API performance is to measure and confirm the actual slow points, before making any optimizations. Premature optimization is not the first step. Caching is the highest leverage optimization technique, as it eliminates expensive database queries altogether. Implementing Redis or Memcached to store and retrieve expensive results can reduce database hits significantly, even with short TTLs (time to live).

Connection pooling is crucial to avoid the overhead of repeatedly opening and closing database connections, especially in serverless environments. A pool of reusable connections can be handed out to requests, reducing latency and preventing database connection exhaustion. Avoid the N+1 query pattern, where individual queries are made for each object, leading to unnecessary redundant work.

Instead, batch queries to retrieve related data in a single efficient request. The article encourages profiling and measurement before applying any optimization techniques, emphasizing that caching, connection pooling, and efficient querying are the key strategies for improving API performance without introducing unnecessary complexity.