🔸 TL;DR
Pagination = split large result sets into chunks.
Filtering = narrow results based on criteria.
👉 Use clear parameter names, validate & sanitize inputs, enforce sane limits, expose consistent metadata, and always combine filtering + pagination with a stable sort.
🔸 WHAT IS PAGINATION?
Pagination is the mechanism that returns large result sets in smaller “pages” so clients don’t pull thousands of records at once.
▪️ Typical params: page, pageSize (or limit / offset)
▪️ Benefits: better performance, reduced bandwidth, improved UX 🚀
🔸 WHAT IS FILTERING?
Filtering allows clients to narrow down results by criteria instead of fetching everything.
▪️ Example: status=ACTIVE, country=FR, createdAfter=2025-01-01
▪️ Benefits: faster queries, relevant results, easier reporting 🎯
🔸 USE CLEAR & INTUITIVE PARAMETER NAMES
Avoid cryptic or inconsistent names.
▪️ Prefer page / pageSize over p / n
▪️ Use semantic filters: status, type, category, fromDate, toDate
▪️ Keep naming consistent across all endpoints 🧩
🔸 APPLY INPUT VALIDATION & SANITIZATION
Never trust client inputs.
▪️ Validate types: numbers for pagination, enums for status, dates in ISO 8601 📅
▪️ Enforce allowed ranges (pageSize min/max)
▪️ Sanitize strings to avoid SQL/NoSQL injections & wildcard abuse
▪️ Fail fast with clear error messages (400 + helpful details)
🔸 APPLY DEFAULT LIMITS & CONSTRAINTS
Protect your API and database.
▪️ Reasonable default pageSize (e.g. 20–50)
▪️ Hard max limit (e.g. 100 or 200) to prevent “download all the DB” attacks 🛡️
▪️ Timeouts and indexes aligned with most common filters
🔸 EMPLOY CONSISTENT NAMING & METADATA
Help clients understand where they are in the result set.
▪️ Return metadata like:
▪️ totalElements, totalPages, page, pageSize
▪️ Stick to the same JSON structure across endpoints
▪️ Optionally expose links: first, prev, next, last 🔗
🔸 COMBINE PAGINATION & FILTERING CORRECTLY
Many APIs fail here.
▪️ Apply filters first, then sort, then paginate
▪️ Use a stable and explicit sort (sort=createdAt,desc)
▪️ Document how filters, sort & pagination interact
▪️ For exports, allow different limits but still validate inputs and protect your system📂
🔸 TAKEAWAYS
▪️ Define pagination & filtering clearly and consistently
▪️ Validate + sanitize all inputs — always
▪️ Enforce sane defaults & limits to protect performance
▪️ Provide rich metadata so clients can navigate results
▪️ Always combine filtering + sorting + pagination in a predictable way
#API #REST #Pagination #Filtering #Backend #WebDevelopment #Java #SpringBoot #CleanCode
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