Learning REST APIs by Morten Rand-Hendriksen Course: What You Actually Get

Web development is messy. Honestly, it’s a miracle the internet works at all when you think about the billions of different devices trying to talk to each other simultaneously. If you've spent any time in the dev world, you’ve heard the term "REST API" thrown around like it’s some magical incantation. But for a lot of people, it remains this fuzzy, abstract concept. This is exactly where the Learning REST APIs by Morten Rand-Hendriksen course on LinkedIn Learning comes in. It doesn't just teach you how to code; it explains how the web actually functions at its core.

Morten Rand-Hendriksen isn’t your typical "type along with me" instructor. If you’ve seen his other work, you know he’s a philosopher-developer. He cares about the "why" as much as the "how." In this specific course, he breaks down Representational State Transfer (REST) not as a programming language, but as a set of rules—a common language that allows a database in a basement in Seattle to talk to a smartphone in Tokyo without everything exploding.

The Six Constraints (And Why They Matter)

Most tutorials just tell you to use GET and POST and call it a day. Morten takes a different route. He spends a significant chunk of time on the six constraints of REST. Most developers skip this. Big mistake.

1. Client-Server Architecture: Keeping the UI and the data storage separate so they can evolve independently.
2. Statelessness: The server doesn't remember you between requests. Every single message has to contain everything the server needs to know.
3. Cacheability: Can we save this data for later?
4. Layered System: The client doesn't know if it's talking to the actual server or an intermediary.
5. Code on Demand: (Optional) The server can send executable code to the client.
6. Uniform Interface: This is the big one. It's why every REST API feels somewhat familiar.

Understanding these isn't just academic. It’s the difference between building a fragile app that breaks the moment you update your database and building something scalable. Morten’s explanation of the "Uniform Interface" is particularly good because he uses the analogy of a librarian. It’s a bit of a classic Morten move—taking a complex digital concept and grounding it in something physical and human.

It’s All About the Request and Response

The middle section of the Learning REST APIs by Morten Rand-Hendriksen course gets into the anatomy of the interaction. Basically, it’s a conversation.

📖 Related: Why the Milwaukee M12 3.0 Battery 2 Pack is Honestly the Sweet Spot for Most Pros

You’ve got the Request, where you (the client) ask for something. Morten breaks down the URL vs. URI distinction, which is one of those things developers pretend to understand but usually don't. Then there are the verbs. GET to read, POST to create, PUT or PATCH to update, and DELETE to... well, delete.

Then comes the Response. This is where the server talks back. Morten goes through HTTP status codes, and honestly, this part is worth the price of admission alone. Knowing the difference between a 401 (Unauthorized) and a 403 (Forbidden) will save you hours of debugging. He also touches on headers and authorization, which are the "boring" parts of APIs that actually make them work in the real world.

Practice via GitHub Codespaces

Theory is great, but it’s easy to forget if you don’t use it. The course uses a GitHub repository that connects with Codespaces.

What’s cool here is that the environment is pre-configured. You get a private database server filled with dummy data. It’s a safe sandbox where you can practice those CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) without the fear of breaking a live production site. The repo is primarily Python-based, but don't let that scare you if you're a JavaScript or PHP person. The principles of REST are language-agnostic.

One thing to note—and Morten is very clear about this—is that the repository contains a live .env file. In a real-world scenario, that’s a massive security "no-no." He includes it specifically for the virtual environment to lower the barrier to entry, but it’s a good reminder that learning "the right way" often involves understanding why certain shortcuts exist.

📖 Related: Is the Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen GPS 40mm Actually Good Enough?

Why This Course Still Matters in 2026

The tech landscape moves fast. We’re talking about AI-driven APIs, GraphQL, and WebSockets now. So, is a course on "standard" REST still relevant?

Absolutely.

REST is the foundation. Even as newer technologies emerge, they are built on the back of the HTTP protocols that REST defines. If you don't understand how a basic REST request/response pair works, you're going to struggle with more complex architectures. Morten’s focus on the ethics and philosophy of the open web also adds a layer of depth you won't find in a "Quick Start" YouTube video. He treats the web as a shared human resource, and his teaching style reflects that responsibility.

Practical Next Steps for Success

To get the most out of this, don't just watch the videos at 1.5x speed.

First, get your hands dirty with the GitHub repo. Spin up the Codespace and actually try to break the API. See what happens when you send a DELETE request to a resource that doesn't exist. Check the headers.

🔗 Read more: Why the Los Angeles TV Guide Antenna Setup Still Beats Your Streaming Bill

Second, use a tool like Postman or Insomnia alongside the course. Morten shows you how to see the API in action, but doing it yourself makes it stick. Pick a public API—like the Pokémon API or the NASA API—and try to map what you’re learning in the course to a real-world data set.

Finally, pay attention to the "RESTful Librarian" analogy. It sounds simple, but it’s the key to understanding resource-based architecture. Once you stop thinking about "functions" and start thinking about "resources," your API design will improve overnight.

This course is short—just over an hour—but it's dense. It bridges the gap between being a "coder" who copies snippets and being a "developer" who understands the architecture of the modern web.

Actionable Next Steps:

1. Access the GitHub Repository: Fork the official course repo and launch it in GitHub Codespaces to explore the pre-built Python environment.
2. Master the HTTP Verbs: Practice the four primary CRUD operations using a tool like Postman to interact with the dummy database provided in the course.
3. Internalize the Constraints: Review the "Six Constraints of REST" and evaluate a public API (like GitHub's or Stripe's) to see how many of them they actually follow.
4. Download the Exercise Files: Use the .env and init_db.py files provided by Morten to understand how local database environments are structured before moving to production-ready setups.