←  All terms
R
APIs & Integrations

REST API

A REST API exposes resources through standardized HTTP methods and distinct endpoints.

A REST API provides a structured way for applications to exchange data through clearly defined endpoints and standard HTTP methods. Reliable implementations depend on consistent data contracts, secure authentication, predictable error handling, and sufficient logging and monitoring to make failures easy to trace. The concept is closely related to API and JSON.

Read more

API

JSON

GraphQL

FAQ

REST API

How is a REST API secured?
Common measures are token or OAuth authentication, HTTPS encryption, permission checks per endpoint, and rate limiting. Credentials never belong in code or in the frontend, since a key in the browser is public. Sensitive calls therefore run through a server-side component.
What mistakes happen when designing a REST API?
Common mistakes are verb-heavy endpoints instead of resources, inconsistent error codes, missing versioning, and unbounded lists without pagination. Such weaknesses burden every integration because clients have to work around them. A fixed interface contract, for example an OpenAPI description, makes changes verifiable.
Is every web API automatically a REST API?
No. API is the umbrella term, and REST is one architectural style among several, alongside GraphQL or SOAP. Many interfaces labeled REST implement only parts of the style, such as resource URLs and HTTP methods. For integrations, a documented, stable contract matters more than the label.
Which HTTP methods does a REST API typically use?
GET is used for reading, POST for creating, PUT or PATCH for updating, and DELETE for removing. GET is considered safe and free of side effects. A clean mapping makes behavior predictable and allows caching of read requests. Deviations, such as deleting via GET, lead to errors that are hard to trace.
When is a REST API a better fit than GraphQL?
REST fits well-defined resources, simple caching, and many different consumers. GraphQL is more worthwhile when clients query very different slices of interlinked data. REST is easier to operate and debug; the decision depends on the shape of the queries, not on trends.