Isaak Tsalicoglou on REST API Design

In this episode of the Elixir Mentor Podcast, I chat with Isaak Tsalicoglou, author of Elixir Software Engineering. Isaak shares hard-won lessons from building production Elixir API clients, covering validation strategies, error handling approaches, authentication flows, and architectural patterns that actually work in the real world.

We explore Isaak's journey back into programming through building internal tools for his family's industrial equipment business, and how that led to writing a comprehensive guide on REST API client development. He explains his approach to request validation, why he ultimately decided against using Ecto schemas for API responses, and the importance of resisting unnecessary complexity in software architecture.

The conversation covers practical API design topics including how to structure clean RESTful routes, avoiding tight coupling between APIs and UIs, and finding the right balance between over-serving and under-serving data. Isaak also shares his thoughts on LLM-assisted development, explaining why he prefers using AI as a code reviewer rather than fully automated coding, and discusses his self-hosting infrastructure setup for privacy-conscious applications.

This episode offers valuable insights for anyone building API clients in Elixir or thinking critically about software architecture decisions and their long-term implications.

Resources Mentioned:
- Elixir Software Engineering: https://leanpub.com/elixir-software-engineering

Connect with Isaak:
- X: https://x.com/realMrLaminar
- LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/tisaakx

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