Restlet in Action

Appendix D. Designing a RESTful web API

As described in appendix C, REST introduces a new paradigm for distributed systems. It may still feel unfamiliar, and you probably have many questions about how you can use it for your own projects. You may even have the feeling of coming late to the party, having to catch up with yet another huge set of concepts and techniques that others are already mastering. We think it’s time to share a little secret with you, which is also good news: you aren’t late; in fact, you’re among the first ones.

This fact is one of the most exciting aspects of the current dynamic around REST: we’re witnessing the discovery and refinement of what makes the web so powerful and how it can be used for new things—in particular, ...