Define how clients use services over HTTP with resources and verbs.
APIs define how software components interact. REST uses HTTP verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), resource URLs, status codes and JSON; GraphQL and gRPC are alternatives. Good APIs are consistent, versioned, documented (OpenAPI), secured and idempotent where appropriate.
GET /users/42 returns the user resource as JSON.
REST APIs define how clients use a service through resources and standard methods, which is how most web and app systems talk to each other.
Define how clients use services over HTTP with resources and verbs.
REST APIs define how clients use a service through resources and standard methods, which is how most web and app systems talk to each other.
GET reads a resource, POST creates one, PUT replaces or updates one, and DELETE removes it.
They show whether the request succeeded, such as 200 for success, 404 for not found and 500 for a server error.
Typical applications include creating an endpoint that returns the list of devices in a plant, updating a configuration with a PUT request and letting a mobile app fetch a user profile over HTTP.
Study "Microservices" first (topic 55 of 104 in Software & Computing). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
Statelessness. Pagination. Rate limiting.
GET /users/42 returns the user resource as JSON.
The next topic is "Computer organisation", which builds directly on this one.
It is classed as Intermediate in Software & Computing (topic 56 of 104). It is an intermediate topic. Work through the beginner topics in Software & Computing first.
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