What is REST?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a simple way for computers to talk to each other over the web. It lets one program ask another for data or actions using standard web requests like “GET” or “POST”.

Let's break it down

  • Representational: The data is sent as a “representation” (usually JSON or XML) of the thing you want, not the thing itself.
  • State Transfer: Each request contains all the information needed; the server doesn’t remember previous requests (stateless).
  • Web: It uses the same URLs and methods that browsers already use, so no special protocols are required.
  • GET / POST / PUT / DELETE: These are the basic verbs that tell the server what you want to do - read, create, update, or delete data.

Why does it matter?

Because REST uses the familiar web language, developers can build and connect services quickly, making apps more flexible, scalable, and easier to maintain.

Where is it used?

  • Mobile apps fetching user profiles from a cloud server.
  • E-commerce sites showing product catalogs and processing orders.
  • Social media platforms letting third-party apps post updates or read feeds.
  • Internet-of-Things devices sending sensor data to a central dashboard.

Good things about it

  • Simple and easy to learn for beginners.
  • Works with any programming language that can make HTTP calls.
  • Scales well - stateless design lets servers handle many requests.
  • Leverages existing web infrastructure (caches, proxies, security).
  • Human-readable URLs make debugging straightforward.

Not-so-good things

  • Limited to the capabilities of HTTP; complex operations can become awkward.
  • Over-reliance on many small requests may increase network latency.
  • No built-in contract or schema enforcement, so clients and servers can drift apart.
  • Handling versioning and backward compatibility can become messy as APIs evolve.