REST

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications, particularly web services, that uses a stateless, client-server communication model. It relies on standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to perform operations on resources identified by URIs, with data typically exchanged in formats like JSON or XML. RESTful APIs are widely used for building scalable and interoperable web services.

Also known as: RESTful, REST API, Representational State Transfer, RESTful API, RESTful web services

Why learn REST?

Developers should learn REST when designing or consuming web APIs, as it provides a simple, standardized approach for client-server interactions over HTTP, making it ideal for web and mobile applications. It is essential for building microservices, integrating third-party services, and creating public APIs due to its stateless nature, cacheability, and ease of use with existing web infrastructure.

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Learning Resources

• docs: MDN Web Docs: REST
• tutorial: REST API Tutorial
• docs: Roy Fielding's Dissertation (Chapter 5)
• tutorial: FreeCodeCamp: REST API Concepts