Editing Technology/Software Development/Web development/RESTful APIs and web services (section)

== Understanding RESTful APIs ==

REST, or Representational State Transfer, is an architectural style that defines a set of constraints for building web services. RESTful APIs adhere to these constraints and provide a standardized approach for designing and interacting with web services.

'''Key Principles of RESTful APIs''':

1. '''Statelessness''': RESTful APIs are stateless, meaning each request from the client contains all the necessary information needed to fulfill the request. The server does not maintain any client-specific data between requests, enhancing scalability and simplicity.

2. '''Resource-Oriented Design''': RESTful APIs expose resources as the fundamental entities to be accessed and manipulated. Each resource is identified by a unique URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and can be represented in different formats, such as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) or XML (eXtensible Markup Language).

3. '''Uniform Interface''': RESTful APIs follow a uniform interface that defines a standard set of HTTP methods, including GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, for performing various operations on resources. This consistency simplifies client-server communication and promotes interoperability.

4. '''Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State (HATEOAS)''': RESTful APIs include hyperlinks in the responses to guide clients through available actions and resources. This self-descriptive nature allows clients to navigate the API dynamically.