REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing network applications. It is usually used to build distributed systems based on the HTTP protocol. RESTful refers to an application or service that adheres to REST principles.
Here is a detailed explanation about REST and RESTful:
1. Principles and characteristics of REST:
1. Resources:
In REST, all data and functionality are considered resources. Each resource can be identified by a unique URL (Uniform Resource Locator). These URLs are usually named with nouns. For example, an article can be represented by a URL: /articles/1.
2.HTTP Methods:
REST uses HTTP methods to perform operations. There are four most common HTTP methods:
·GET: Used to obtain information about resources and should not have any side effects.
·POST: used to create new resources.
·PUT: Used to update existing resources, usually requiring complete resource information.
·DELETE: used to delete resources.
3. Statelessness:
Each HTTP request contains enough information for the server to understand the client's request, which means the server does not need to save the client's state. Each request should be independent and not dependent on previous requests.
4.Uniform Interface:
The REST interface should be unified, which means that no matter which resource is accessed, similar URL structures and HTTP methods should be used. This helps simplify client design.
5.Representation of resources:
The status of a resource can be presented in different presentation forms. For example, resource data can be represented using formats such as JSON, XML, or HTML. Communication between clients and servers typically uses these representations to exchange information.
2. Uses of RESTful:
RESTful architecture has many advantages when building distributed systems and web services, including:
1. Scalability:
Because REST uses the HTTP protocol, it is inherently scalable. Applications can handle more requests by adding servers without modifying the underlying structure of the application.
2. Loose Coupling:
Communication between clients and servers of RESTful services is loosely coupled, meaning they can evolve and modify independently without affecting each other.
3.Portability:
Since RESTful services use the standard HTTP protocol, they can easily interact across different platforms and programming languages.
4. Caching:
RESTful services can effectively use HTTP caching mechanism to reduce requests to the server, improve performance and reduce server load.
5. Easy to understand and debug:
RESTful APIs typically use explicit URLs to represent resources, which makes them relatively easy to understand and debug. Developers can use common HTTP tools to test and debug RESTful services.
In short, REST and RESTful are an architectural style for designing network applications that emphasize resources, HTTP methods, state independence, and unified interfaces. It is widely used to build scalable, loosely coupled, portable and easy-to-understand distributed systems and web services. By following REST principles, developers can create powerful and maintainable applications.