
An API Is a Boundary, Not a URL
A working endpoint is not yet a reliable API. The real contract includes validation, errors, retries, idempotency, and a way to evolve without making yesterday’s frontend fail tomorrow.
9 min read

A working endpoint is not yet a reliable API. The real contract includes validation, errors, retries, idempotency, and a way to evolve without making yesterday’s frontend fail tomorrow.

You don't have to write the server. But the shape of the contract between your React app and the backend — REST, tRPC, or a BFF — decides how much of your frontend is real work versus glue code. Here's the part of the backend that's actually yours.