Rest APIs

This course will focus on REST APIs. A REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules and conventions for building and interacting with web services.

Here are some key points about REST APIs:

1. Uniform Interface: REST APIs have a uniform interface, which helps to decouple the client and server and allow each to evolve independently.

2. Stateless: Each request from a client to a server must contain all the information needed to understand and process the request1. The server should not store anything about the latest HTTP request the client made1.

3. Client-Server Architecture: The client is responsible for the user interface and user experience, and the server is responsible for processing requests and managing resources1.

4. Cacheable: Responses from the server can be cached by the client. This can improve performance as it reduces the load on the server and network1.

5. Layered System: The architecture allows for layers of servers (e.g., load balancers, cache servers, etc.) that can be added to improve scalability and performance1.

REST APIs use standard HTTP methods, like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc., to perform operations on the data1. The data that is sent and received is often in the form of JSON or XML.

For example, if you wanted to retrieve a user’s information from a database, you might send a GET request to http://api.example.com/users/123. The server would then respond with the data for the user with ID.

REST APIs have become very popular for their simplicity, scalability, and performance. They are used in many types of applications, from web and mobile apps to microservices architecture