Difference between REST API and RESTful API

In this article, we will discuss the difference between REST API and RESTful API in Node.js. Before discussing their differences, we must know about REST API and RESTful API.

What is the REST API?

Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface is referred to as REST API. It is an architectural style used to design networked applications, especially ones that use HTTP to communicate with web-based services. The client and server interact with a REST API using common HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.

Modern microservice designs frequently use REST APIs because they allow functionality to be divided into small and independent services. As a result, the system as a whole is more flexible and maintainable since each service can be developed, implemented, and scaled independently.

The key principles of REST are resource-based URLs, in which resources are identified using URIs; statelessness, in which every request from the client to the server must contain all the information needed to understand and process the request; and the use of standard formats, such as JSON or XML, for representing resource data.

REST has become an accepted standard for developing APIs because it provides a simple-to-use, scalable, and effective method of interacting with server-side services without being dependent on any particular server technology.

Main Components of REST API:

Several main components of a REST API are as follows:

1. Resource Based: It functions with respect to resources (such as individuals or products) that are retrieved using specific URI endpoints, such as https://javatpoint.com//.
2. Stateless: No session data is stored on the server; each request is independent. The client manages its session using tokens or cookies.
3. Cacheable: Headers specifying whether and how long responses can be stored in a cache that can help with performance.
4. Uniform Interface: Standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) are consistently used for CRUD operations on resources.
   
   1. GET: Retrieve resources.
   2. POST: Create new resources.
   3. PUT: Update existing resources.
   4. DELETE: Remove resources.
5. Layered System: A layered system improves scalability because the client communicates with the API without realizing whether it is linked to the server directly or through intermediaries.
6. Code on Demand (Optional): This feature allows for dynamic functionality by allowing the server to deliver executable code to the client; however, it is rarely used.

What is the RESTful API?

The term "RESTful API" describes an API (application programming interface) that follows precisely the architectural principles of Representational State Transfer (REST). It defines a set of conventions for creating web services that communicate with resources (data) through the Internet and use common HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.

With a RESTful API, applications can communicate with one another through HTTP requests and responses without requiring an understanding of the internal workings of the service they are using. Defined endpoints (URLs) serve as the base for the interaction, which follows REST principles including statelessness, resource identification through URIs, and data representation using standard formats like XML or JSON.

RESTful APIs are common for accessing and modifying data from a variety of web-connected applications, databases, and services. By utilizing the ease of execution and efficacy of the HTTP protocol, they are suitable for developing unique software applications that are scalable, flexible, and easy to maintain.

Main components of Restful API:

Several main components of a RESTful API are as follows:

1. Resources: These are the primary objects or entities that the API makes available for use. A "customer" or an "order" are examples of how each resource represents data. Clients can understand and manipulate resources because they are frequently organized according to the data they represent.
2. URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers): URIs, or uniform resource identifiers, are similar to addresses in that they serve as a unique means of identifying each given resource. For example, an individual customer with the ID 1234 is recognized using the URI https://api.example.com/customers/1234. Because it allows clients to recognize and access specific resources, the URI structure is crucial.
3. HTTP Methods: RESTful APIs manipulate resources using the normal HTTP methods. These include:
   
   1. GET: Get a list of resources or a resource directly.
   2. POST: Create a new resource.
   3. PUT: Completely update a resource that already exists.
   4. PATCH: Update a resource partially with a patch.
   5. DELETE: Remove a resource.
4. Representations: A RESTful API's resources can be found in XML or JSON formats, among others. Because of these formats, clients may read and use the data. By using the Accept header in their requests, clients can tell the server what format they want to receive the data in, and the server will react accordingly.
5. HTTP Status Codes: These codes provide the client with how their request was received. Common status codes include:
   
   1. 200 OK: The data requested by the user was successfully sent to the server.
   2. 201 Created: The server successfully created a resource.
   3. 400 Bad Request: The request was not valid or the server was unable to process it.
   4. 404 Not Found: The server was unable to locate the requested resource.
6. Headers: HTTP headers in both requests and replies carry important metadata. For example:
   
   1. Authorization: It contains the client's authentication credentials.
   2. Content-Type: It indicates the resource's media type, such as application/json, that is being sent.
   3. Cache-Control: It provides directives for caching mechanisms.
7. Hypermedia: Clients can find relevant information or actions they can take by clicking on hypermedia links within answers in RESTful APIs. For example, a response might provide links to obtain specific client information, update customer data, or remove a customer after a list of customers has been provided. "Hypermedia As The Engine Of Application State", or HATEOAS, is the term for this RESTful feature.
8. Statelessness: RESTful APIs are made to be stateless, which means that every request made by the client to the server must contain all of the data required for the server to understand and deal with the request. To ensure that each request may be handled separately and to simplify server design, the server does not save any client session data between requests. The client must maintain the session state.

Key differences between REST API and RESTful API:

There are several key differences between REST API and RESTful API. Some main differences are as follows:

Conclusion:

In conclusion, an API for developing web applications that are both RESTful and Restful uses HTTP Restful services to give users access to its features and data. The concept of hypermedia as the engine of the application state underpins the design of these services, which is characterized by REST. Put differently, clients can access resources using a RESTful API by using the HTTP GET method in addition to the regular HTTP methods like PUT, POST, DELETE, and so on. Thus, web developers don't need to write any code while using REST APIs in their applications to access data from websites owned by third-party websites.