RESTful API: Principles and Benefits

What is RESTful?

Representational state transfer (REST) is a popular architectural style for web services and APIs. First introduced by Roy Fielding in 2000, it provides a set of principles and guidelines for building APIs, such as client-server communication, statelessness, uniform interfaces, and resource-based URLs.

A RESTful API adheres to the REST principles and guidelines. When we refer to an API as being RESTful, it means the API uses the HTTP methods appropriately, organizes resources with meaningful URLs, and relies on standard HTTP status codes.

In contrast, nonREST APIs might implement custom protocols, lack clear resource organization, and use ad hoc operation methods. This can lead to complexity, reduced interoperability, and a steeper developer learning curve.

Why RESTful?

RESTful API provides rules for different systems to understand each other easily. Following these rules, systems can exchange information regardless of their programming languages or platforms.

In the following slide, a client app can communicate with a REST server, and the REST server can talk to another REST server. REST makes communication simpler for computer systems on the internet.

RESTful APIs are designed to organize resources using meaningful URLs and allow clients to interact with those resources using standard HTTP methods. These principles provide a way to develop a scalable and flexible API.

Additionally, RESTful APIs are easy to understand, work with, and integrate. We can leverage existing knowledge of HTTP, utilize a wide range of tools and libraries, and ensure compatibility across various platforms and technologies.

REST principles

RESTful APIs adhere to a set of principles ...