Top 10 Spring Boot REST API Mistakes and How to Avoid Them (2025 Update)

Hello everyone, Ramesh here! Welcome to another productive guide. Building robust and efficient REST APIs is a key aspect of modern application development. While Spring Boot simplifies this process, developers often make mistakes that can lead to inefficiencies, security vulnerabilities, or poor user experience. In this guide, we’ll cover the top 10 mistakes in Spring Boot REST APIs, explain their impact, and provide updated solutions using the latest Spring Boot features and best practices.

Original guide: Top 10 Spring Boot REST API Mistakes and How to Avoid Them (2025 Update)

1. Using Incorrect HTTP Status Codes in REST APIs

• Mistake: Returning 200 OK for every response, including errors.
• Impact: Misleading status codes confuse API clients and make debugging difficult.
• Solution: Always use the appropriate HTTP status code based on the situation:
• 200 OK: Request successful.
• 201 Created: Resource successfully created.
• 400 Bad Request: Invalid input or validation errors.
• 404 Not Found: Resource does not exist.
• 500 Internal Server Error: Unexpected server errors.