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A Representational State Transfer (REST) API is a set of rules and conventions for building and interacting with web services. REST is an architectural style for designing networked applications, and it stands for "Representational State Transfer." RESTful APIs are designed to be simple, scalable, and stateless, making them ideal for use in web applications and other distributed systems. Here's a detailed explanation of REST APIs:

1. **Resources**: In REST, everything is considered a resource. Resources are identified by URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers), which are used to uniquely address each resource. Resources can represent objects, data, or services. For example, a REST API for a bookstore might have resources like `/books`, `/authors`, and `/orders`.

2. **HTTP Methods**: REST APIs use standard HTTP methods (verbs) to perform operations on resources. The most common HTTP methods used in REST are:

   - **GET**: Retrieve data from the server. It's a safe and idempotent operation, meaning it doesn't modify data on the server.
   - **POST**: Create a new resource on the server. It's not idempotent because multiple identical requests may result in multiple resources being created.
   - **PUT**: Update or replace an existing resource or create a new one if it doesn't exist. It's idempotent because making the same request multiple times won't change the result.
   - **PATCH**: Partially update an existing resource. It's also idempotent.
   - **DELETE**: Remove a resource from the server.

3. **Statelessness**: REST APIs are stateless, which means each request from a client to a server must contain all the information needed to understand and process that request. The server should not store any client context between requests. This makes REST APIs scalable and easy to maintain.

4. **Representation**: Resources can have multiple representations, such as JSON, XML, HTML, or plain text. Clients can specify their preferred representation using the `Accept` header in the request, and servers can respond with the appropriate representation using the `Content-Type` header in the response.

5. **Uniform Interface**: A key principle of REST is having a uniform and consistent interface. This means that regardless of the resource or service, the same HTTP methods and status codes should be used, making it easier for developers to understand and use the API.

6. **Stateless Communication**: REST is based on stateless communication between the client and server. Each request sent from the client to the server must contain all the necessary information. If additional context is required, it should be included in the request itself.

7. **Idempotence**: Some HTTP methods (GET, PUT, and DELETE) are considered idempotent, meaning that making the same request multiple times has the same effect as making it once. This property simplifies error handling and retries.

8. **HATEOAS (Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State)**: This is an optional constraint in REST. It suggests that the API should provide links or references to related resources in the responses. Clients can navigate the API by following these links, reducing the need for prior knowledge of the API structure.

9. **Security**: REST APIs should implement proper security measures, including authentication (e.g., OAuth, API keys) and authorization (e.g., roles and permissions) to protect resources and data.

10. **Versioning**: As APIs evolve, it's common to support multiple API versions to avoid breaking existing clients. Versioning can be achieved through URI versioning (e.g., `/v1/resource`) or through headers (e.g., `Accept-Version`).

11. **Error Handling**: REST APIs should use appropriate HTTP status codes (e.g., 200 OK, 201 Created, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 404 Not Found) to indicate the outcome of requests. Error details can be included in the response body, typically in JSON format.

In summary, REST APIs are a set of architectural principles for designing networked applications that communicate over HTTP. They are resource-centric, use standard HTTP methods, are stateless, and provide a uniform and predictable interface for clients to interact with resources. RESTful APIs are widely used for building web services, and they have become a fundamental part of modern web and mobile application development.



[[https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/api/what-is-a-rest-api|What is a REST API?]]

[[https://www.astera.com/type/blog/rest-api-definition/|REST API Definition: Understanding the Basics of REST APIs]]

[[https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/RESTful-API|REST API (RESTful API)]]

[[https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/rest-apis| REST APIs ]]

[[https://restfulapi.net/|What is REST]]

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLwpqD8n3d0|What is a REST API?]]

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsMQRaeKNDk|What is a REST API?]]


[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YcW25PHnAA|REST API concepts and examples]]

[[https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/|REST API Handbook]]


[[https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/01/understanding-using-rest-api/|Understanding And Using REST APIs]]


[[https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/restful-api/|
What Is A RESTful API?]]