http
GET /users?page=2&limit=25Notes
Offset pagination is easy to understand, but performance can degrade on large datasets and results may shift during concurrent writes.
REST API Pagination, Filtering, Sorting, and Search
Common collection query patterns including offset pagination, cursor pagination, filtering, sorting, and search.
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Pagination patterns
Use stable collection pagination contracts.
http
GET /events?limit=100&cursor=eyJpZCI6IjEwMDAifQ==Notes
Cursor pagination is often more stable and efficient than offset pagination for append-heavy lists.
json
{
"data": [/* ... */],
"page": 2,
"limit": 25,
"total": 140,
"next_cursor": null
}Notes
Pagination metadata helps clients build pagers and infinite-scroll experiences without guessing.
http
GET /events?sort=created_at:desc&cursor=...Notes
Cursor pagination works best when the ordering is explicit and stable.
Filtering, sorting, and search
Shape collection queries without inventing custom endpoints.
http
GET /tickets?status=open&priority=highNotes
Simple query filtering is easy for clients and caches to understand.
http
GET /tickets?sort=created_at:descNotes
A consistent sort syntax helps consumers avoid one-off endpoint conventions.
http
GET /users?sort=last_name:asc,first_name:ascNotes
Secondary sort keys reduce unstable ordering when many rows share the same primary value.
http
GET /articles?q=rate%20limitingNotes
A simple `q` or `search` parameter is common for free-text search over selected fields.
http
GET /invoices?created_gte=2026-01-01T00:00:00Z&created_lt=2026-02-01T00:00:00ZNotes
Explicit lower and upper bounds are easier to reason about than vague relative date strings.
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