What is REST?
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications that uses HTTP requests to perform CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) on resources identified by URLs. It emphasizes stateless communication and uniform interfaces.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Representational State Transfer |
|---|---|
| Created | 2000 by Roy Fielding |
| Specification | Official Specification |
How It Works
REST was defined by Roy Fielding in his 2000 doctoral dissertation. It provides a set of constraints that, when followed, create a scalable and maintainable web service. RESTful APIs use standard HTTP methods: GET (read), POST (create), PUT/PATCH (update), and DELETE (remove). Resources are represented in formats like JSON or XML. REST's stateless nature means each request contains all information needed to process it, making it highly scalable. While not a standard, REST has become the dominant architecture for web APIs. GraphQL has emerged as an alternative to REST, offering a single endpoint with client-specified queries, eliminating over-fetching and under-fetching. While REST remains dominant for simple CRUD operations and public APIs, GraphQL excels for complex data requirements and mobile applications. gRPC is another alternative optimized for microservices communication with binary serialization and streaming support.
Key Characteristics
- Stateless - each request is independent
- Uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
- Resources identified by URLs
- Supports multiple data formats (JSON, XML)
- Client-server architecture separation
- Cacheable responses for performance
Common Use Cases
- Web service APIs
- Mobile application backends
- Microservices communication
- Third-party integrations
- CRUD operations on resources
Example
Loading code...Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between REST and RESTful?
REST is an architectural style defining principles for web services, while RESTful refers to web services that implement and follow REST principles. A service is considered RESTful when it adheres to REST constraints like statelessness, uniform interface, and resource-based URLs.
Why is REST stateless and what are the benefits?
REST is stateless because each request must contain all information needed for processing, without relying on stored server context. Benefits include better scalability (servers don't maintain session state), improved reliability (failed requests can be retried easily), and simpler load balancing across multiple servers.
When should I use PUT vs PATCH in REST APIs?
Use PUT when you want to replace an entire resource with a new representation - all fields must be provided. Use PATCH for partial updates where you only send the fields that need to change. PUT is idempotent (same result regardless of how many times called), and PATCH should also be implemented as idempotent when possible.
How does REST compare to GraphQL and gRPC?
REST uses multiple endpoints with fixed data structures, GraphQL offers a single endpoint with client-specified queries reducing over-fetching, and gRPC provides high-performance binary communication ideal for microservices. REST is best for simple CRUD operations, GraphQL for complex data needs, and gRPC for internal service-to-service communication.
What are the best practices for designing REST API URLs?
Use nouns instead of verbs (/users not /getUsers), use plural forms for collections (/users not /user), nest resources to show relationships (/users/123/orders), use lowercase with hyphens for readability, version your API (/v1/users), and keep URLs simple and intuitive.