RESTful Web Services Basics

HTTP Methods and Status Codes:

  • GET: Retrieve information from the server (e.g., read a resource).

  • POST: Send data to the server to create a new resource.

  • PUT: Update an existing resource on the server.

  • DELETE: Remove a resource from the server.

  • Status Codes:

    • 200 OK: Successful GET, PUT, DELETE, or POST.

    • 201 Created: Successful POST that results in a new resource.

    • 204 No Content: Successful request that doesn’t return a body.

    • 400 Bad Request: Client-side error.

    • 404 Not Found: Resource not found.

    • 500 Internal Server Error: Server-side error.

Designing Resource URIs:

  • Use nouns to represent resources (e.g., /users, /orders).

  • Use sub-resources for relations (e.g., /users/{id}/orders).

  • Be consistent in URI design (e.g., use hyphens or underscores).