Representational State Transfer (REST)

REST is a widely used architectural style based on the principle of resource orientation. It allows interaction between client and server through standardized HTTP methods. Applications that follow RESTful principles often exhibit high scalability and flexibility.

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In brief

Representational State Transfer (REST) in brief

Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style for networked systems that manipulate resources through representations and a uniform interface.

Where does it come from?

Roy Fielding coined REST in 2000 in his dissertation on architectural styles for network-based software and derived the style from properties of the World Wide Web.

The mental model

A client identifies a resource and exchanges its representation through standardized, stateless requests. Hypermedia can reveal the next available action in the current response.

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Core idea

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Mechanism

The component connects clear information with a verifiable decision or action.

Practice context

Application context, responsibilities, limits, and evidence determine practical quality.

When is it useful?

REST provides loose coupling for public and internal web interfaces when resources, state, and uniform semantics are modeled clearly. It fits less well for highly stateful real-time interactions; hypermedia and cache semantics must be implemented deliberately.

Roy Fielding – Architectural Styles and the Design of Network-based Software Architectures