REST (Representational State Transfer) is an HTTP-based architecture for web services. RESTful APIs use standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to interact with resources, usually in JSON format.
HTTP Methods in REST API
| Method |
Purpose |
Example URL |
| GET |
Retrieve data |
GET /users/1 |
| POST |
Create a new resource |
POST /users |
| PUT |
Update a full resource |
PUT /users/1 |
| PATCH |
Partially update a resource |
PATCH /users/1 |
| DELETE |
Remove a resource |
DELETE /users/1 |
Best Practices
- Use Plural Nouns for Resources
- Use Path Parameters for Specific Resources
GET /users/123 ✅ (Retrieve user with ID=123)
- Use Query Parameters for Filtering
GET /users?age=25 ✅ (Retrieve users aged 25)
- Use Proper HTTP Status Codes
| Code |
Meaning |
| 200 OK |
Successful request |
| 201 Created |
Resource successfully created |
| 400 Bad Request |
Invalid request format |
| 401 Unauthorized |
Missing authentication token |
| 404 Not Found |
Resource does not exist |
| 500 Internal Server Error |
Server-side error |