Building Custom APIs With Strapi

Let’s build a custom API. Strapi is a Node CMS that lets us create our own APIs quickly from a clean dashboard. We don’t have to jump into Node code to create a database, database connections, models, etc. Strapi lets us create an API in very little time!

Key Takeaways

• Building a custom API can be done quickly
• Building a custom API without writing Node code
• We can get up and running with a REST API or GraphQL API

Why Watch?

• You want to build your own APIs, and you want to do it quickly!
• You want to build a backend API, but don’t have the Node expertise, or want to focus on frontends.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of APIs and what APIs are is good to have.

• Strapi 1-Click Install on DigitalOcean
• Strapi YouTube Recipes

• Does Strapi have draft/published status? Yes
• Can you schedule content? Yes
• Are Strapi’s APIs usable by mobile apps? Yes. APIs are platform agnostic and can be used to build anything from website to mobile app.
• Did you use the free version in this webinar? Yes. Strapi is open source and free.
• Can I get the source code for Strapi? Yes. It’s on GitHub
• Is there an API to create/edit users? Yes
• Are there hooks like beforeSave or beforeCreate? Yes. The Strapi Model has lifecycle methods
• Can I add 3rd party authentication? Yes. You can add a new auth provider.

Chris Sev is the founder of scotch.io and Senior Developer Advocate at DigitalOcean. He loves trying to figure out the most efficient and practical way to build apps that we can ship to our customers.