HTTP & APIs
REST
REST is an API design style that uses standard HTTP verbs and clean, resource-based URLs to organize and edit data.
Diagram
RESTful API Design Pattern: Resource: Users ────────────────────────────────────────── GET /api/v1/users → list all POST /api/v1/users → create one GET /api/v1/users/:id → get one PUT /api/v1/users/:id → replace one PATCH /api/v1/users/:id → update fields DELETE /api/v1/users/:id → delete one ──────────────────────────────────────────
In Depth
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing APIs. It is a set of design conventions for exposing database models over HTTP so that client apps can perform CRUD operations on them.
Code Example
Standard REST CRUD route pattern
GET /api/v1/posts → 200 { posts: [...] }
POST /api/v1/posts → 201 { id: "p_91", title: "..." }
PATCH /api/v1/posts/p_91 → 200 { updated fields }
DELETE /api/v1/posts/p_91 → 200 { deleted: true }Common Misconception
REST is not a protocol or a library. It is simply a style guide. A system does not crash if it violates REST constraints, but it will be harder to maintain and scale.
Real World Usage
Most web platforms (GitHub, Stripe, Shopify, Twitter) expose REST APIs. Developers use tools like `fetch` or `Axios` to make calls to these routes.