REST
In depthProtocol / format
Also known as: RESTful, Representational State Transfer
Architectural style for APIs built on HTTP methods and resources. The most widely used API style.
REST, explained
Written by EduVerseWhat it is
REST is an architectural style for designing web APIs, not a protocol or a library. Data is organized as resources with their own URLs, such as /users/42, and you act on them with standard HTTP methods: GET to read, POST to create, PUT or PATCH to update and DELETE to remove. Responses are usually JSON.
Why teams use it
Because REST builds on plain HTTP, it works with every language and tool, and reuses the status codes, caching and security the web already has. Anyone who knows the conventions can quickly guess how a new API is shaped. When one screen needs data from many resources at once, GraphQL can fit better.
An example from work
Your ticket says “add an endpoint to update a product’s price”. Following the team’s REST conventions, you add PATCH /products/{id}, which accepts a small JSON body and returns 200 with the updated product, or 404 when the id doesn’t exist. The frontend developer knows how to call it without asking you.
Our own explanation, not a quote from the book.
In the book
Sentences from The Software Realm, Decoded that mention REST, exactly as printed.
2 more passages about REST in the full book
Read every conversation where REST comes up, with the interactive slides and demos.
Where it fits
Web APIs, communication between frontend and backend
Coverage in the book
Covered in depth: multiple pages with explanations, examples and simulations.
