What is a Rest API? Why is it Important?

API (Application Programming Interface) allows a software tool to communicate with another software tool, such as interacting with a server or transferring data. For example, when we check the weather or financial information on a webpage or view messages in a messaging app, an API is used each time. Applications and various service providers can pre-develop and share these APIs. Through these ready-made APIs, pre-existing infrastructures are used, enabling data exchange without having to build a new infrastructure each time. The interfaces that users interact with are designed for software as UI (User Interface) and are user-oriented. To learn more about one of the most popular types of APIs, Rest API, and its working methods, continue reading our article.

API Types and Rest API Features

APIs can be thought of as interfaces designed for developers. APIs vary depending on the protocols they use, the type of users, and architectures. Some types of APIs include:

• Public API
• Private API
• Partner API
• Rest API, which stands for Representational State Transfer
• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
• Rest APIs typically use the HTTP protocol and access databases via URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) addresses. One of the key features of Rest APIs is their ability to facilitate data transfers through HTTP request types like GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE.

How Rest APIs Work

APIs contain many definitions and protocols. Servers providing information allow developers to perform application development and various integrations via APIs. APIs help establish communication between the server sending the response and the client, making the data understandable and usable. Programs use APIs to communicate with data providers on different servers, retrieve information, or perform tasks like adding new features. APIs are developed to ensure that users work according to these protocols and reach the desired results. In short, an API acts as an intermediary between the user and the resource. The users can be of a client (user) type, while the resources can be of a server (resource) type.

For developers, it is crucial to understand how Rest APIs work, as they are frequently used in various applications and projects. Different data types, such as images, videos, and text, are accepted from Rest sources. A client visits a URL and sends a request to the server to receive a response. A request, or the URL reached, generally consists of four components:

• The root-endpoint belonging to the URL
• One of the five request methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
• Authentication and header information
• Data or body, which are the request contents sent to the server with POST, PUT, PATCH, or DELETE requests.

Each of these HTTP methods — GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE — enables different data transfers with servers. For instance, a DELETE request is sent to delete data on the server, while the GET method is used for requests like reading or retrieving documents or images from the server. PUT and PATCH methods are used to update records. These operations represent the four main tasks expressed as CRUD: Create, Read, Update, and Delete. Servers can send data to the client in different formats, usually JSON, XLT, PHP, Python, HTML, or plain text.

Using Restful architecture in programming can add various features to a project. In this architecture, Rest APIs are preferred over rigid APIs like SOAP or XML-RPC when developing software products. This allows for the addition of scalability, flexibility, independence, and quick adaptation to the work being done.

When choosing Rest APIs, certain features need to be considered. One of these is the need to frequently follow application updates to ensure that endpoints and servers operate smoothly and compatibility issues are resolved. These updates may create extra workload if not done on time. Additionally, due to its numerous authentication and authorization methods, making the first API call can be challenging. In some projects, servers may return a response with unnecessary data, or you may need to make multiple queries to obtain the information you need.

Rest API Features and Advantages

The use of Rest APIs and the Rest architecture brings many benefits to a project. Some of these advantages can be rules and constraints that help create order. Some of the fundamental advantages of using the Rest architecture include:

• Rest APIs provide a uniform interface by ensuring that requests sent to the server and the information exchanged follow a consistent format. This is achieved through the use of URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), meaning uniform resource identifiers. Requests made to the server, as well as credentials like email and password, follow a single format.
• In applications where communication is required between the client and server, Rest allows both sides to work independently of each other. For instance, the client owns the URI of the requested resource, so it doesn’t need further communication with the server. Similarly, the server cannot affect the client or the software attached to it. Necessary data can be transmitted via HTTP without affecting the server, allowing you to modify client software whenever needed.
• In Rest-based systems, the server and client do not share state information. Thanks to this constraint, the server and client can receive later messages without having seen previous ones. This enables issues to be isolated and resolved piece by piece without affecting the entire system, making work faster, more reliable, and scalable without interruption.
• Rest enables caching on both the client and server sides whenever possible. Caching the data and responses from the server is critically important today. By storing information in the cache, significant performance improvements can be achieved on the client side. Good cache management can also reduce client-server communication, leading to noticeable performance improvements on the UI (User Interface) side. Page load times increase, and previously loaded content can be accessed even without an internet connection.

Rest API Use Cases

The use of Rest APIs has rapidly expanded due to their ability to cover a wide range of users and devices. Curious about where Rest APIs are used? These areas can be categorized under three main headings: Web, Cloud App, and Cloud Computing. Common use cases include Web Projects, iOS Applications, Windows Phone Applications, and IoT Devices. They are also particularly useful in cloud projects because they ensure that the client and server are unaffected by outages or issues. For this reason, they are frequently used in cloud applications. Moreover, due to the advantages they offer, Rest APIs also hold a crucial role in cloud computing projects. As a type of API with numerous advantages for cloud technologies and microservices, you can learn more about Rest APIs and improve your skills by checking out Techcareer Bootcamp training programs.