2026-03-07 16:34 Tags:Technical Literacy

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1. First: What is a URL?

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is simply an address on the internet.

Example:

https://www.reddit.com

Just like a physical address:

742 Evergreen Terrace
Springfield
USA

A URL tells the computer:

• which server

• where on that server

• what resource

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2. What is an API endpoint?

An endpoint is a specific URL where an API provides data or services.

Example:

https://api.github.com/users

This endpoint returns user data.

Another endpoint:

https://api.github.com/repos

This returns repository data.

So an endpoint is basically:

a door into the server’s data

Each door gives you different information.

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3. Example using Reddit (very concrete)

Example endpoint:

https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/top.json

This endpoint returns:

• top posts

• from subreddit financialindependence

• in JSON format

So the API endpoint describes:

Part	Meaning
reddit.com	the server
/r/financialindependence	the resource
/top	the operation
.json	return format

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4. Endpoints are usually structured like folders

Most APIs follow a hierarchical structure.

Example:

/users
/users/42
/users/42/posts
/users/42/followers

Think of it like a file system.

Example folder structure:

users/
   42/
      posts/
      followers/

Each path is a different endpoint.

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5. Real-world API example

Imagine a shopping website API.

Possible endpoints:

/products
/products/15
/products/15/reviews
/orders
/orders/108

Meaning:

Endpoint	Meaning
/products	list all products
/products/15	product with ID 15
/products/15/reviews	reviews for that product
/orders	all orders
/orders/108	specific order

So endpoints represent resources and relationships.

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6. The full URL structure

A typical API URL looks like this:

https://api.example.com/users/42

Breakdown:

Part	Meaning
https	protocol
api.example.com	server
/users/42	resource

So this means:

Ask the server api.example.com for user 42.

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7. Why APIs use “api.”

Many APIs use a special subdomain:

api.example.com

Instead of:

www.example.com

Reason:

• www → website for humans

• api → data for programs

Example:

https://api.stripe.com
https://api.github.com
https://api.notion.com

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8. Endpoint + Method = API request

An endpoint alone is not enough.

You combine it with an HTTP method.

Example:

GET https://api.example.com/users

Meaning:

retrieve users.

Another example:

POST https://api.example.com/users

Meaning:

create a new user.

So an API call always has:

HTTP Method + Endpoint

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9. How this appears in n8n

In your HTTP Request node, you fill:

Method:

GET

URL:

https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/top.json

That URL is the endpoint.

n8n sends a request there and receives JSON data.

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10. Quick intuition test

If you see this endpoint:

https://api.example.com/users/123/orders

You can probably guess:

It returns:

orders belonging to user 123

Even without documentation.

That’s why REST APIs are designed this way — the endpoints are human-readable.

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✅ Key takeaway

Endpoint = the address where an API exposes a resource

Example pattern:

/resource
/resource/id
/resource/id/subresource

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