REST stands for Representational State Transfer
For an API to be RESTful, it must adhere to the following rules:
Stateless—A REST API is stateless in nature, Client-Server Architecture
Uniform Interface—A client and server should communicate with one another via HTTP using URIs, CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) and JSON conventions.
Client-Server—The client and server should be independent of each other. The changes you make on the server shouldn’t affect the client and vice versa.
Cache—The client should have the ability to cache the responses as this improves the user experience by making them faster and more efficient.
Layered—The API should support a layered architecture, with each layer contributing to a clear hierarchy. Each layer should be loosely coupled and allow for encapsulation.
REST API Methods:
GET – Retrieve information about the REST API resource
POST – Create a REST API resource
PUT – Update a REST API resource
DELETE – Delete a REST API resource or related component
OPTIONS – List the supported operations in web service
HEAD – Returns only HTTP header and no body
SOAP vs REST API
