Since its appearance in 2000, REST has become a widely accepted and used standard in the technology industry. In this article, we will tell you what REST is, when it is used and what its main advantages are.
What is REST?
REST is an acronym that stands for Representational State Transfer, and it refers to a software architecture for creating web services. Thanks to REST, it is possible to share resources and data between different devices and applications in an efficient and scalable way.
It is a standard that defines how an API (Application Programming Interface) should work on the web. The data is transmitted in text format and is accessed through specific URLs. RESTful services use HTTP verbs (such as GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to perform operations on resources on the server.
When to use REST?
REST is a good option when you want to create an API for a system that will be accessed by different types of devices or applications, such as mobile, web, or desktop. If you want to allow your web services to be easily consumed by other applications and to be scalable, REST is a good choice.
In general, REST is a suitable solution in most cases where data sharing over the web is required.
Advantages
- It allows different systems and platforms to interact and share data easily.
- It is a scalable architecture, which means that it can handle a large number of users and transactions without affecting system performance.
- It is widely accepted and used in the industry, making it easy to integrate and develop solutions.
- It uses HTTP, so it’s easy to implement and there are already many libraries and tools available.
- It makes it easy to create custom web services that are tailored to the specific needs of a system.
- By using plain text to transmit data, REST is faster and more efficient than other protocols that use more complex formats.
Who use it?
- Software developers. They use REST to create web services and applications that integrate with other systems.
- Tech companies, such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook, use REST for their web services and mobile applications.
- E-commerce companies use it to integrate their payment, inventory, and logistics systems.
- Some governments use it to provide services to citizens and businesses over the web.
- Media companies, such as newspapers and television stations, use it to integrate their news systems and multimedia content.
Conclusions about what is REST
In conclusion, REST allows companies and organizations to easily integrate their systems and take full advantage of the possibilities of the web. It is an essential tool for any developer or organization looking to share resources and data efficiently over the web.
