REST API

Traditional Web Applications

• Traditional Application:
  • Hosted on Web Servers
  • Functionality is linked to UI Developed
  • Users of the traditional Web Applications use browsers (GUI) to execute the applications

SOAP Based Web Services

• Without interacting only via UI, Functionality of the Server can be exposed to clients. On the Server host SOAP Web Services
• Cons:
  • Client requires decent compute power to use SOAP Services

REST APIs

• Services are exposed much like SOAP, but unlike SOAP REST API uses stable HTTP Protocol to do this.
• Since HTTP is Used, We have
  • Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
  • Requests
    • Body
    • Headers
    • Content type
  • Response
    • Status Code: 1**, 2**, 3**, 4**,5** (404: page not found)
    • Body
    • Headers
    • Content type
• HTTP request can be generated by all the languages and also from command lines such as curl, Invoke-WebRequest