REST API
Web DevelopmentREST API is an application programming interface that follows Representational State Transfer principles to let clients and servers exchange data over HTTP. It exposes resources through URLs and uses standard methods like GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. Responses are typically JSON, and each request is stateless, carrying authentication and context so services can scale and remain loosely coupled.
How It Works
A REST API models data as resources (such as /users, /orders, or /posts). Clients interact with these resources using HTTP methods: GET to retrieve, POST to create, PUT or PATCH to update, and DELETE to remove. The server returns a representation of the resource, commonly JSON, along with HTTP status codes (200, 201, 400, 401, 404, 500) that indicate the outcome. Because REST uses standard web semantics, it works well with browsers, mobile apps, and server-to-server integrations.
A key constraint is statelessness: each request includes everything needed to process it, such as an Authorization header (API keys, OAuth tokens, or JWTs) and any parameters. This makes horizontal scaling easier because any application instance can handle any request. REST APIs often sit behind a reverse proxy (Nginx or Apache), may be rate-limited, and can be cached at multiple layers using HTTP caching headers. Many implementations also support pagination, filtering, and versioning (for example, /v1/) to keep changes manageable over time.
Why It Matters for Web Hosting
If your site or application consumes or exposes a REST API, hosting requirements shift from serving mostly pages to reliably handling many small, concurrent HTTP requests. You may need enough CPU and memory for the application runtime (PHP-FPM, Node.js, Python, Java), fast database access, and stable outbound connectivity to third-party APIs. When comparing plans, look for support for HTTPS, modern TLS, reverse proxy configuration, background workers, caching, and scaling options, since API latency and uptime directly affect user experience and integrations.
Common Use Cases
- Powering a web app or single-page application that fetches data asynchronously
- Mobile app backends for authentication, profiles, and content delivery
- Integrations between services (payments, email delivery, CRM, analytics)
- Headless CMS setups where a frontend consumes content via JSON endpoints
- Public or partner APIs for exposing product catalogs, orders, or account data
- Automation scripts and DevOps tooling that manage resources via HTTP endpoints
REST API vs GraphQL
REST typically exposes multiple endpoints, each returning a fixed shape of data for a resource, while GraphQL usually exposes a single endpoint where clients request exactly the fields they need. REST can benefit more directly from HTTP caching and standard status codes per resource, whereas GraphQL often requires application-level caching and more careful query complexity controls. For hosting, REST workloads may be simpler to cache and proxy, while GraphQL can increase CPU usage due to query parsing and resolver execution, especially under heavy traffic.