Developing RESTful APIs with Kotlin and Spring Boot Practice Exam

Developing RESTful APIs with Kotlin and Spring Boot Practice Exam

About Developing RESTful APIs with Kotlin and Spring Boot Exam

The Developing RESTful APIs with Kotlin and Spring Boot exam assesses a candidate's ability to design, build, secure, and deploy scalable RESTful APIs using Kotlin and the Spring Boot framework. This certification validates a developer’s proficiency in creating efficient, modern APIs that adhere to industry best practices.

Learning outcome

The exam focuses on key areas such as understanding API architecture, leveraging Kotlin’s concise syntax for backend development, and utilizing Spring Boot’s powerful features to streamline the development process. Candidates will demonstrate their expertise in handling HTTP requests and responses, implementing business logic, interacting with databases, and ensuring robust API security. Additionally, the exam evaluates knowledge of API testing, performance optimization, and integration with external services.

Skills Required

• Proficient understanding of Kotlin syntax, object-oriented principles, and functional programming concepts.
• Knowledge of Kotlin's standard library and features (such as null safety, data classes, and extension functions).
• Ability to set up a Spring Boot application with proper configurations and dependencies.
• Understanding of Spring Boot’s auto-configuration and the ability to customize and extend it for specific use cases.
• Creating REST endpoints using Spring MVC and understanding HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
• Implementing best practices for RESTful API design, including status codes, response formats (JSON), and versioning.
• Integrating Spring Data JPA with relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL).
• Performing CRUD operations and working with complex queries.
• Handling transactions and understanding the concept of ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) in Kotlin.
• Securing APIs with Spring Security, JWT tokens, and OAuth2.
• Understanding authentication and authorization principles and implementation in Kotlin-based applications.
• Properly managing exceptions and providing meaningful error messages.
• Implementing input validation and error handling to ensure data integrity and a smooth user experience.
• Writing unit tests and integration tests using tools like JUnit, MockMvc, and Mockito.
• Documenting the API using Swagger/OpenAPI for seamless consumption by other developers.
• Knowledge of deploying Kotlin-based applications using Spring Boot on various environments (local, cloud, Docker).

Who should take the Exam?

This exam is perfect for anyone who aims to develop high-performance, secure, and scalable backend systems using modern technologies like Kotlin and Spring Boot. It includes:

• Software Developers
• Kotlin Enthusiasts
• Spring Boot Users
• Backend Engineers
• DevOps Engineers
• Technical Leads & Architects

Course Outline

The Developing RESTful APIs with Kotlin and Spring Boot Exam covers the following topics - 

Domain 1. Introduction to Kotlin Programming

• Overview of the Course
• Required Knowledge
• Getting Acquainted with Kotlin
• Kotlin and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM)

Domain 2. Core Concepts in Kotlin

• Steps for Setting Up the Development Environment
• Writing Your First Kotlin Program
• Understanding val and var Variables
• Exploring Basic Data Types: Int, Long, Double, String
• Conditional Statements: If and When
• Utilizing Ranges and Loops
• Understand Implementing while and do-While Loops
• Controlling Flow with Break, Labels, and Return

Domain 3. Kotlin Functions

• Steps for Creating and Using Functions
• Learn about Parameters with Default Values and Named Arguments
• Working with Top-Level Functions and Properties

Domain 4. Object-Oriented Programming in Kotlin

• Defining Classes and Objects
• Understanding Primary Constructors
• Secondary Constructors Explained
• Using the init Block for Initialization
• Working with Data Classes
• Customizing Getters and Setters
• Implementing Inheritance: Extending Classes and Overriding Members
• Utilizing the Object Keyword for Instances
• Using Companion Objects
• Understand Interfaces and Their Usage
• Managing Conflicts in Interface Functions
• Defining and Overriding Interface Variables
• Controlling Access with Visibility Modifiers
• Explore Type Checking, Casting, and Smart Casting
• Introduction to Enum Classes

Domain 5. Handling Null Values in Kotlin

• Nullable vs. Non-Nullable Types
• Learn about Managing Nulls with Safe Calls, Elvis Operator, and Non-Null Assertion
• Assigning Nullable Types to Non-Nullable Variables

Domain 6. Collections, Arrays, and Lambdas

• Overview of Kotlin Collections
• Understanding Lambda Expressions
• Higher-Order Functions and Lambdas in Action
• Process of Filtering Operations in Collections
• Mapping Data in Collections
• Using FlatMap with Collections
• Manipulating HashMaps
• Lazy Evaluation with Sequences
• Dealing with Nulls in Collections

Domain 7. Exception Handling and Scope Functions

• Managing Exceptions with try-catch
• Introduction to Scope Functions
• Using Apply and Also Functions
• Leveraging the Let Function
• Understanding With and Run Functions

Domain 8. Kotlin with Spring Boot

• Setting Up the Project and Application Overview
• Creating a Simple Greeting Controller Endpoint
• Constructor Injection in Spring Boot
• Configuring Profiles in Spring Boot
• Logging in Kotlin

Domain 9. Testing with JUnit 5

• Automated Testing and JUnit 5 Setup
• Writing Integration Tests for Controllers
• Unit Testing Controllers with Mock Libraries

Domain 10. Developing a Course Catalog Service

• Defining the Course Entity and DTO
• Creating a Repository and Configuring JPA
• Implementing the POST Endpoint for Adding Courses
• Writing Integration Tests for POST Endpoints
• Building the GET Endpoint to Retrieve All Courses
• Testing GET Endpoint Integration
• Updating Courses with PUT Endpoint
• Testing PUT Endpoint Integration
• Deleting Courses with DELETE Endpoint

Domain 11. Unit Testing the Web Layer

• Setting Up Unit Tests for CourseController
• Writing Unit Tests for POST, GET, PUT, and DELETE Endpoints

Domain 12. Validations and Error Handling

• Enforcing Mandatory Fields with @NotBlank
• Custom Error Handling Using ControllerAdvice
• Handling Global Runtime Exceptions with ControllerAdvice

Domain 13. Custom Queries and Database Testing

• Fetching Courses by Name Using JPA Queries
• Writing Native SQL Queries for Retrieval
• Testing with Parameterized Data

Domain 14. GET Endpoint for Course Retrieval by Name

• Using GET Endpoint with @RequestParam
• Writing Integration Tests for Name-Based Retrieval

Domain 15. Modeling Entity Relationships

• Adding Instructor Entities to the Service
• Defining Relationships Between Entities
• Creating a Controller for Instructor Data Management
• Updating Services to Validate Instructor Information
• Fixing Integration and Unit Tests

Domain 16. Postgres Database Integration

• Setting Up PostgreSQL with the Application
• Testing Application Functionality with Postgres

Domain 17. Integration Testing Using TestContainers

• Configuring TestContainers for Integration Tests
• Using TestContainers with @DataJpaTest

Domain 18. Java-Kotlin Interoperability

• Calling Kotlin Code from Java
• Accessing Java Code in Kotlin
• Leveraging Useful JVM Annotations in Kotlin