Advanced REST API Tutorial

Welcome to the Advanced REST API Tutorial! This guide will help you understand the intricacies of building and consuming REST APIs. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, this tutorial will provide you with valuable insights.

What is REST?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style for designing networked applications. It is used to create web services that are lightweight, maintainable, and scalable.

Key Concepts

Resource-based: REST APIs are resource-based, meaning they operate on resources such as users, products, or orders.
Stateless: Each request from a client to a server must contain all the information needed to understand and complete the request.
Client-Server: The client and server communicate through a stateless, client-server communication protocol, typically HTTP.

Getting Started

To get started with building a REST API, you'll need to have a good understanding of HTTP methods and status codes. The following table provides a brief overview:

HTTP Method	Purpose
GET	Retrieve data
POST	Create a new resource
PUT	Update an existing resource
DELETE	Delete a resource

Building a Simple REST API

Here's a simple example of a REST API using Python and Flask:

from flask import Flask, jsonify, request

app = Flask(__name__)

# Define a sample resource
resources = [
    {"id": 1, "name": "John Doe"},
    {"id": 2, "name": "Jane Smith"}
]

@app.route('/resources', methods=['GET'])
def get_resources():
    return jsonify(resources)

@app.route('/resources/<int:id>', methods=['GET'])
def get_resource(id):
    resource = next((item for item in resources if item['id'] == id), None)
    if resource:
        return jsonify(resource)
    else:
        return jsonify({"error": "Resource not found"}), 404

@app.route('/resources', methods=['POST'])
def create_resource():
    new_resource = {
        "id": len(resources) + 1,
        "name": request.json['name']
    }
    resources.append(new_resource)
    return jsonify(new_resource), 201

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Consuming a REST API