For a while now, I have been putting off learning anything about API development because there is so much to learn in building apps for iOS and Android. As I was learning to build apps, I settled on utilizing backend platforms such as Firebase and Parse Server until I felt it was necessary to build my own API. Well, the time has come to do just that, and I have been working through this tutorial over the past two weeks.
One of the reasons I chose to go through this particular tutorial was not only the topic covered but the breadth of what was covered in the tutorial. Prior to this tutorial, I went through another Python and Django tutorial, which walked you through how to build a REST API but had zero walk-through or instruction on actually deploying the API. Seeing that the whole point of building an API was to deploy it on my own server or VPS, the previous tutorial was severely lacking in content. Another drawback of the previous tutorial was that it was basically a developer videotaping his screen with commentary as he built out an API. It lacked the teaching element.
The previous tutorial did state that it was advanced, but even so, I would expect teaching to occur at any level of the tutorial. The whole reason a student pays for a tutorial is to learn, which requires teaching in some form. I wouldn’t say that I did not get anything out of the prior tutorial, but after completing 88% of the material, I realized I would be disappointed when it came to deploying the project covered in the material. I believe I will eventually go back and complete it now that I have a better idea of how to deploy it on a server. So, I would say that Jose Salvatierra from Teclado does an outstanding job covering what I needed out of this tutorial. He takes a layered approach to teaching the elements which go into an API. He does not skip over explaining the intricate details, which is important when you are learning anything basic or advanced.
After finishing the current tutorial, I plan on starting the Advanced REST APIs with Flask and Python by Jose Salvatierra at Teclado. As I make my way through the next one, I will provide my feedback on it as well.
Advanced REST APIs with Flask and Python
