Category : Spring Boot | Sub Category : Spring Boot | By Prasad Bonam Last updated: 2024-01-10 06:26:47 Viewed : 171
RESTful API
REST, which stands for Representational State Transfer, is an architectural style for designing networked applications. A RESTful API (Application Programming Interface) is an implementation of this architectural style that allows systems to communicate over HTTP. REST APIs are widely used in web development to enable communication between different software systems.
Key principles of RESTful APIs include:
Statelessness: Each request from a client to a server must contain all the information needed to understand and process the request. The server should not store any information about the client`s state between requests.
Resource-Based: Resources, such as data objects or services, are identified by URLs (Uniform Resource Locators). Clients interact with these resources using standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
Representation: Resources can have multiple representations, such as JSON or XML. Clients can specify the desired representation using the Accept header in the request.
Uniform Interface: A uniform and consistent interface simplifies the architecture and improves the visibility of interactions. This includes a set of well-defined conventions, such as the use of standard HTTP methods.
Stateless Communication: Communication between the client and server is stateless, meaning that each request from a client to a server must contain all the information needed to understand and process the request. The server should not store any information about the client`s state between requests.
Here is a simple example of a RESTful API:
Suppose you have a service that manages a collection of books. You could design RESTful endpoints like:
GET /books: Retrieve a list of all books.GET /books/{id}: Retrieve details about a specific book.POST /books: Create a new book.PUT /books/{id}: Update details of a specific book.DELETE /books/{id}: Delete a specific book.In this example, each endpoint corresponds to a specific action related to the "books" resource. The HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) indicate the desired operation.
RESTful APIs are widely used in web development due to their simplicity, scalability, and ease of integration. They have become the standard for building web services that can be consumed by various clients, including web browsers, mobile applications, and other servers.