Routing decides which handler receives an HTTP request. In a hand-built Rust server, the server reads TCP bytes and converts them into an HTTP request; the router selects a handler; the handler constructs an HTTP response. Keeping these jobs separate gives the router one responsibility: dispatch, not request parsing or response creation. section 2.3
In Actix Web, an application registers routes rather than calling a separate router module directly. Each route pairs a path and HTTP method with a handler function. The application uses the incoming request’s path and method to choose that handler. section 3.1.2 section 3.3
Start with a health check
In src/bin/basic-server.rs, register `cfg.route("/health", web::get().to(health_check_handler))`, then attach the configuration with `App::new().configure(general_routes)`. A GET request to `/health` reaches the handler, which returns a health-check response. section 3.1.1
Listing 4.1 Routes for the tutor web service
use super::handlers::*;
use actix_web::web;
pub fn general_routes(cfg: &mut web::ServiceConfig) {
cfg.route("/health", web::get().to(health_check_handler));
}
pub fn course_routes(cfg: &mut web::ServiceConfig) {
cfg.service(
web::scope("/courses")
.route("/", web::post().to(post_new_course)) #1
.route("/{tutor_id}", web::get().to(get_courses_for_tutor)) #2
.route("/{tutor_id}/{course_id}", web::get().to(
get_course_details)), #3
);
}
The route listing shows one GET health check and a `/courses` scope with POST and GET handlers, including paths containing `{tutor_id}` and `{course_id}`. section 4.3.1
Group related endpoints under a shared root with `web::scope`. For example, a POST to `/courses/` can reach `new_course` once the route group is registered with the application and the handler is defined. The handler then works with the request data and application state; those are separate from the route’s dispatch decision. section 3.2.4
Check dispatch before implementing behavior
For course maintenance, register POST, PUT, and DELETE routes, then give their handlers temporary responses. Send each request with `curl` and check for its distinct placeholder message. This verifies that requests reach the intended handlers before backend calls are added. section 9.4
Routes also dispatch requests outside a JSON API: `/static` can serve files from disk, while a GET to `/tutors` can reach a handler that fetches data and renders a Tera template. The route selects the work; the service or handler performs it. section 7.2 section 7.7
