Definition
Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style for web APIs that uses standard HTTP methods to perform operations on resources. It is the dominant style for modern web services, characterized by its statelessness and reliance on standard protocols.
Why It Matters
REST APIs are the industry standard for interoperability. By using standard HTTP verbs and status codes, they allow any system capable of making web requests to interact with any other system, regardless of the underlying programming language or platform.
Core Concepts
- Resources: Every object (user, weather data, tweet) is a resource identified by a unique URL (URI).
- HTTP Verbs:
- GET: Retrieve a resource.
- POST: Create a new resource.
- PUT/PATCH: Update an existing resource.
- DELETE: Remove a resource.
- Statelessness: Each request must contain all the information necessary for the server to understand and process it; the server does not store client session data.
- Data Format: Typically uses JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) for data exchange.
import requests
# Example: GET request to retrieve user data
response = requests.get("https://api.github.com/users/octocat")
if response.status_code == 200:
data = response.json()
print(f"User: {data['name']} | Bio: {data['bio']}")