REST API

What Is REST API?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural pattern for building web APIs. REST APIs use HTTP methods (GET for retrieval, POST for creation, PUT/PATCH for updates, DELETE for removal) and URLs to represent resources. This simple, standardized approach became the de facto standard for web APIs, making services easy to understand and integrate.

REST APIs are stateless: each request contains all information needed to process it. The server doesn't maintain client session state, enabling horizontal scaling. REST emphasizes uniform interfaces, caching, and standard HTTP semantics. This simplicity made REST dominant for web services.

REST APIs are resource-oriented: you think in terms of nouns (users, products, orders) and HTTP methods define operations. This is natural for many applications but can feel awkward for complex business logic or real-time applications. GraphQL and gRPC offer alternatives for specific scenarios.