REST API

An architectural style for building web APIs using HTTP methods and stateless communication.

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications. RESTful APIs use HTTP methods to perform operations on resources.

REST Principles

Stateless: Each request contains all needed information
Client-Server: Separation of concerns
Uniform Interface: Consistent resource naming
Cacheable: Responses can be cached

HTTP Methods in REST

Method	Purpose	Example
GET	Read data	GET /users
POST	Create new	POST /users
PUT	Update/Replace	PUT /users/1
PATCH	Partial update	PATCH /users/1
DELETE	Remove	DELETE /users/1

Code Examples

REST Endpoints

GET    /api/users      - List all users
GET    /api/users/1    - Get user by ID
POST   /api/users      - Create user
PUT    /api/users/1    - Update user
DELETE /api/users/1    - Delete user

Related Terms

HTTP Status Codes

Standard response codes that indicate the result of an HTTP request.

WebSocket

A protocol enabling full-duplex, real-time communication between client and server.

Latency

The time delay between a request being sent and a response being received.

Mock API

A simulated API endpoint that returns predefined responses for testing and development.