Detailsroutes

Detailsroutes is a term used in some API design discussions to describe a routing pattern that enables progressively detailed representations of a resource. The concept centers on providing a base resource through a primary route and offering access to extended information via a dedicated detail route or a specialized query parameter. Although not universally standardized, detailsroutes are discussed as a way to support efficient data retrieval and flexible client behavior.

In practice, a detailsroute may take several forms. A common pattern is to expose a base endpoint such as GET /items/{id} that returns a concise summary, followed by a details endpoint like GET /items/{id}/details that returns a fuller payload with additional fields, relations, or nested data. Alternatively, a single route may accept a view parameter, such as GET /items/{id}?view=summary or view=details, or use field expansion controls like GET /items/{id}?fields=id,name,details. These approaches allow clients to request only the data they need, reducing payloads for list views and enabling lazy retrieval of complex objects.

Key design considerations include backward compatibility, caching strategies for both summary and detail responses, access control and security implications of exposing more data, and versioning for evolving detail schemas. Detailsroutes are often discussed alongside patterns such as sparse fieldsets, nested resources, and expand mechanisms.

Examples: GET /orders/{orderId} returns basic order data; GET /orders/{orderId}/details returns full line items and metadata. See also: sparse fieldsets, resource expansion, nested routing.