Why serve APIs over HTTPS even in campus projects?

HTTPS for APIs

For Why serve APIs over HTTPS even in campus projects, interviewers listen for a crisp definition, how the pieces interact in a real system, and one trade-off or failure mode you have seen or would guard against.

• Encrypts data in transit—passwords, tokens, PII.
• Prevents MITM on campus Wi‑Fi.
• Browsers block mixed content; cookies need Secure flag.