RESTful Java Web Services - Third Edition

The REST architectural style

REST is not an architecture; rather, it is a set of constraints that creates a software architectural style, which can be used for building distributed applications. A major challenge to the distributed applications is attributed to the diversity of systems in an enterprise offering silos of business information, as depicted in the following diagram: 

You can read Architectural Styles and the Design of Network-based Software Architectures, Roy Fielding, 2000, which talks about the REST architectural style, by visiting http://www.ics.uci.edu/~fielding/pubs/dissertation/top.htm.

Often, an enterprise demands simplified ...