Mastering RESTful Web Services: Architectural Principles, HTTP Methods, and Proven Best Practices
The applications are not in an isolated world in modern web development. They are part of a large, interwoven system in which systems need to communicate on a constant basis. Ever wonder how a ride-sharing app determines a driver's live GPS location or how an e-commerce site can update product count after a sale? The RESTful Web Service is the magic behind this flawless communication. Whether you're getting into software engineering, full stack, or product management, it's essential to understand how to use REST APIs to expose data and functionality. This guide explains the fundamentals of REST and shows you which of the common HTTP methods are supported, and how to build clean, production-ready REST APIs. 1. Break down the Client-Server Architecture Before going into the mechanics of REST, you should get a basic understanding of the environment in which it is used: the Client-Server Architecture. This is the design pattern used by nearly all applications used to power the ...