Hands-On RESTful API Design Patterns and Best Practices

RESTful service mandates

In one of the online discussion forums, Roy Fielding recorded his frustration about a service that claims to be RESTful, but that service is a mere HTTP-based interface. The service was not fulfilling all the necessary REST architecture constraints. He even said that if the Engine of Application State (and hence the API) is not being driven by hypertext, then it cannot be RESTful and cannot be a REST API.

With that said, any services that need to be termed RESTful must strictly adhere to the mandatory REST architecture constraints. Those constraints are design rules that are applied to establish the distinct characteristics of the REST architectural style.

Roy, the founder of the REST style, enforces the following ...