URL segments use one casing style
Why it matters
Mixed URL casing — /api/user-profiles alongside /api/order_items — creates ambiguity that breaks DNS case-sensitivity on some servers, confuses API clients that normalize URLs differently, and forces documentation to call out each route individually instead of stating a predictable rule. The iso-25010:2011 maintainability.modifiability impact is direct: developers adding new routes have no clear template to follow and will continue adding to the inconsistency.
Severity rationale
High because URL segment casing inconsistencies can cause routing failures on case-sensitive servers and force every consumer to memorize per-route conventions.
Remediation
Pick one URL casing convention — kebab-case is the REST standard — and rename all routes in a single pass. Update client-side fetch calls and any saved references:
// Before -- mixed casing:
/api/user-profiles
/api/order_items
/api/paymentMethods
// After -- consistent kebab-case:
/api/user-profiles
/api/order-items
/api/payment-methods
If you have external consumers, add redirects from the old paths and announce the change with a deprecation header before removing them.
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the API Design Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
External references
- iso-25010:2011 · maintainability.modifiability
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from api-design·automated