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- The base URI for the Web API, such as httphttps://eg.com/resources/.
- The Internet media type of the data supported by the Web API. This is often JSON but can be any other valid Internet media type provided that it is a valid hypertext standard.
- The set of operations supported by the Web API using HTTP methods (e.g., GET, PUT, POST, or DELETE).
- The API must be hypertext driven.
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| Resource | GET | PUT | POST | DELETE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collection URI such as http://eg.com/resources/ | List the URIs and perhaps other details of the collection's members. | Replace the entire collection with another collection. | Create a new entry in the collection. The new entry's URI is assigned automatically and is usually returned by the operation. | Delete the entire collection. |
| Element URI such as httphttps://eg.com/resources/item7 | Retrieve a representation of the addressed member of the collection, expressed in an appropriate Internet media type. | Replace the addressed member of the collection, or if it doesn't exist, create it. | Not generally used. Treat the addressed member as a collection in its own right and create a new entry in it. | Delete the addressed member of the collection. |
The PUT and DELETE methods are idempotent methods. The GET method is a safe method (or nullipotent), meaning that calling it produces no side-effects.
Unlike SOAP-based Web services, there is no standard for RESTful Web APIs. This is because REST is an architectural style, unlike SOAP, which is a protocol. Even though REST is not a standard, a RESTful implementation such as the IzoT REST API can use standards like HTTP, URI, and XML.
The following sections describe the resources exposed by the IzoT REST API. By default, all operations (e.g. GET, PUT, DELETE, etc.) are only permitted when logged into an account with suitable privileges. All resources also support the OPTIONS operation which will return information on the requested resource.
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