Chapter 2: REST Origins

In order to understand REST, we must first go back in time.

We will begin by covering a brief history of the internet and the world wide web, which will then enable us to understand how and why REST was created.

We will then clear up any confusion and misunderstanding between REST and HTTP.

Once that is done, we will then dive into more detail into REST's architecture and its constraints.

After that, we will take a look at HTTP, the implementation of REST and exactly how HTTP follows the REST architecture.

Then, we will be ready to answer the question of what it really means for an API to be truly "RESTful" and take a look at the Richardson Maturity Model for measuring "RESTfulness".

Finally, we'll touch briefly on the subject of pragmatism over dogmatism when it comes to building and designing RESTful APIs.