REST APIs usually send static resources, but in certain cases, responses can also contain executable code (such as Java applets). REST APIs need to be designed so that neither the client nor the server can tell whether it communicates with the end application or an intermediary. There may be a number of different intermediaries in the communication loop. As a rule of thumb, don’t assume that the client and server applications connect directly to each other. In REST APIs, the calls and responses go through different layers. The goal is to improve performance on the client side, while increasing scalability on the server side. Server responses also need to contain information about whether caching is allowed for the delivered resource. When possible, resources should be cacheable on the client or server side. Server applications aren’t allowed to store any data related to a client request. In other words, REST APIs do not require any server-side sessions. REST APIs are stateless, meaning that each request needs to include all the information necessary for processing it. Similarly, a server application shouldn't modify the client application other than passing it to the requested data via HTTP. The only information the client application should know is the URI of the requested resource it can't interact with the server application in any other ways. In REST API design, client and server applications must be completely independent of each other. Resources shouldn’t be too large but should contain every piece of information that the client might need.
The REST API should ensure that the same piece of data, such as the name or email address of a user, belongs to only one uniform resource identifier (URI). All API requests for the same resource should look the same, no matter where the request comes from. The only requirement is that they align to the following six REST design principles - also known as architectural constraints: But REST APIs can be developed using virtually any programming language and support a variety of data formats. Some APIs, such as SOAP or XML-RPC, impose a strict framework on developers. The application or service doing the accessing is called the client, and the application or service containing the resource is called the server. At the most basic level, an API is a mechanism that enables an application or service to access a resource within another application or service.
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