In today€s market, where rival web services compete for attention, a well-designed REST API is a must-have feature. This concise book presents a set of API design rules, drawn primarily from best practices that stick close to the Web€s REST architectural style. Along with rules for URI design and HTTP use, you€ll learn guidelines for media types and representational forms.

REST APIs are ubiquitous, but few of them follow a consistent design methodology. Using these simple rules, you will design web service APIs that adhere to recognized web standards. To assist you, author Mark Mass© introduces the Web Resource Modeling Language (WRML), a conceptual framework he created for the design and implementation of REST APIs.

• Learn design rules for addressing resources with URIs
• Apply design principles to HTTP€s request methods and response status codes
• Work with guidelines for conveying metadata through HTTP headers and media types
• Get design tips to address the needs of client programs, including the special needs of browser-based JavaScript clients
• Understand why REST APIs should be designed and configured, not coded