“DJ is phenomenal. They find amazing candidates, make hiring extraordinary devs easy. Think of it as having a top recruiter, HR, and payroll departments in dozens of countries.”
Senior engineers who design, build, and own your API layer. Vetted for RESTful architecture, OAuth2, OpenAPI, and production-grade performance. Full-time hire on your team in 14 days.
Andres
Recruitment Expert
Verified
API design judgment We ask candidates to review a real API design and critique it.
RESTful design principles We verify depth beyond the basics. Candidates are expected to understand and apply: resource-oriented URL design, correct use of HTTP methods.
Authentication and security This is where most API security failures happen. We screen for: OAuth2 flows , JWT implementation API key management, rate limiting strategy, CORS configuration, and input validation.
Documentation and versioning An API that is not documented is an API nobody will use correctly. We verify OpenAPI 3.x proficiency, Swagger UI setup, Postman collection maintenance, and the ability to write documentation developers actually read.
Performance and caching We test for: cursor-based vs offset pagination filtering and sorting on large datasets, response compression, ETags and conditional requests, Cache-Control header strategy, and the N+1 query problem in API responses.
Testing discipline Integration tests, contract testing (Pact for consumer-driven contracts), API mocking for parallel frontend development, and automated regression testing in CI. REST API developers who do not test their own APIs create coupling problems that are expensive to unwind.
What our clients get when they hire through DistantJob.
You'll interview pre-screened REST API developers within 14 days. No job boards, no sorting through hundreds of resumes — just 3-5 candidates who already passed our technical bar.
Unlike Upwork or Toptal, your REST API developer works full-time and exclusively on your product. They join your standups, learn your codebase, and ship like a local team member.
Senior REST API developers from regions with lower cost of living, earning above their local market rate — while you save up to 40% compared to U.S. hiring.
Contracts, payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance in your developer's country — all handled. You manage the work, we manage everything else.
Hiring competition for REST API developers is intensifying. We headhunt globally so you lock in vetted talent before your competitors do.
If the hire isn't the right fit, we replace them at no extra cost. Your investment is protected from day one.
Testimonials
“DJ is phenomenal. They find amazing candidates, make hiring extraordinary devs easy. Think of it as having a top recruiter, HR, and payroll departments in dozens of countries.”
“DistantJob took the time to talk about the job description and explore what was important to us. They came back with a great candidate on the first try!”
“I can easily say that I’ve never worked with a more dedicated, patient, and productive developer. DistantJob made the remote engagement painless. Win-win!”
“We have 3 employees from DistantJob right now. Phenomenal. For the dollar value that we are spending, we are far ahead of what we would find locally or offshore.”
“Hiring through DistantJob (…) surpassed my expectations. I had no opinion before, neither for [remote work] or against, but this experience definitely put it on the radar for me.”
“DistantJob is great for helping you find technical folks especially when your local area doesn’t have the right pool of talent for the job.”
“The remote developers presented by DistantJob] delivered a caliber of quality, skill and technical expertise, beyond my best expectations, far exceeding our local team members.”
“Working with DistantJob made everything about recruiting a highly technical employee easier and cost-effective.”
As a leading remote IT recruitment agency, we care that our clients take part throughout the hiring process. Why? Because for us, hiring a qualified candidate is not only about the skills and abilities, but it’s also about how candidates match with your company’s culture.
As soon as you talk with us or fill our form, the first thing we do is analyze your company. We want to understand your culture and the type of people you value working with.
In 2 weeks, you’ll start reviewing people that match your requirements. We focus on providing you 3-5 top candidates instead of giving you an endless list.
Once you select the candidate, we handle all the contracts, NDA’s and payments from day 1.
Latin America (Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico) Strong Node.js/Express and Python/FastAPI/Django REST Framework talent. 4–8 hours of daily overlap with U.S. East and West Coast teams.
Eastern Europe (Romania, Poland, Bulgaria) Deep .NET Web API and Java Spring REST talent from enterprise software backgrounds. Strong TypeScript/Node.js pools in Romania and Poland.
Salary ranges (full-time, annual base):
| Seniority | Latin America | Eastern Europe |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-level (3–5 yrs) | $50,000–$70,000 | $55,000–$75,000 |
| Senior (5–8 yrs) | $65,000–$88,000 | $68,000–$92,000 |
| Lead / Principal | $85,000–$110,000 | $88,000–$115,000 |
A senior REST API backend developer in the U.S. costs $120,000–$155,000 per year in base salary. DistantJob placements save companies 35–40% on that figure.
Time to hire: 14–21 days for mid and senior levels. The REST API developer pool is large — JavaScript, Python, Java, and .NET backend engineers all qualify. If you have a specific stack preference, tell us in the intake call and we filter for it.
Most backend developers have called a third-party API. That is not the same as designing one. In the interview, ask them to walk through an API they built from scratch: the authentication strategy, the versioning approach, and one decision they would make differently now. Generic answers are a red flag.
How a developer handles breaking changes reveals their level of experience with real API consumers. Junior developers solve this by not thinking about it until something breaks. Senior developers design versioning into the API from the start and have a clear deprecation policy. If your API has external consumers — customers, mobile apps, third-party integrations — this question is not optional.
OAuth2 and JWT are on almost every REST API developer resume. Very few candidates can explain when to use the authorization code flow vs client credentials, how to handle refresh token rotation securely, or why storing JWTs in localStorage is a problem. Ask for specifics. The checkbox answers are memorised. The specifics are lived experience.
| Model | Best For | What You Get | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| DistantJob (Placement) | Long-term ownership | Full-time REST API dev in your team; U.S. overlap; HR handled | Not for one-off gigs |
| Outsourcing agency | Managed project | Vendor team delivers scope | Less control, vendor IP/process |
| Marketplace/freelancers | Short tasks | Fast, flexible | Turnover; you manage vetting/compliance |
| Job boards/DIY | Big applicant pools | Control | Slow; heavy screening work |
No. We place full-time remote REST API developers who work exclusively in your team — your repos, your standups, your roadmap. They’re your employees, we handle the HR and compliance.
Most clients start interviewing vetted candidates within 2 weeks. We headhunt and vet REST API developers specifically for your requirements — no generic talent pools.
Yes. We prioritize candidates with dependable U.S./Canada time-zone overlap (typically 4-8 hours). Your REST API developer will be available for standups, code reviews, and real-time collaboration.
By hiring REST API developers from regions with a lower cost of living, you can save up to 40% compared to U.S.-based salaries — while your developer earns above their local market rate. Contact us for a detailed quote based on your requirements.
Every candidate passes our 4-stage 1% Vetting Protocol: integrity and legal checks, an expert-led REST API-specific technical screen by our senior engineers, a business English and communication audit, and a remote readiness assessment.
You’re covered by our money-back and replacement guarantees. If the hire doesn’t work out during the guarantee period, we’ll find a replacement at no extra cost or refund your fee.
Yes. We manage contracts, NDAs, payroll, benefits, and local labor law compliance for your REST API developer — so you can focus on building product, not navigating international HR.
Salaries vary significantly by region and seniority. By hiring REST API developers from countries with a lower cost of living, you can save up to 40% compared to U.S. salaries — while your developer earns above their local market rate.
When you partner with DistantJob for your next hire, you get the highest quality developers who will deliver expert work on time. We headhunt developers globally; that means you can expect candidates within two weeks or less and at a great value.
Increase your development output within the next 30 days without sacrificing quality.
