REST API

A REST API (or RESTful API ✕ An API is a set of rules that lets two programs talk to each other. It works like a go-between that carries requests from one application to another and returns the response. More in the glossary → ) is the most widespread style for designing programming interfaces on the web. It rests on a set of principles (REST) that make use of how the web itself works: each resource — a user, a product, an order — has its own address (URL), and operations are carried out with standard HTTP methods, such as GET to read, POST to create, PUT to update and DELETE to remove. Data is usually exchanged in JSON, which is lightweight and easy to read. One of its traits is that it keeps no state between requests: each request carries all the information it needs. Its simplicity, universal compatibility and clarity have made it the de facto standard for connecting applications, though alternatives like GraphQL exist for more complex cases.