REST Based API
REST Based API
com
ABSTRACT
1.1 HTTP Methods
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and
Representational State Transfer (REST) are two The following HTTP methods are most commonly
answers to the same question: how to access Web used in a REST based architecture.
services. The choice initially may seem easy, but at GET − Provides a read only access to a
times it can be surprisingly difficult. SOAP is a resource.
standards-based Web services access protocol that has PUT − Used to create a new resource.
been around for a while and enjoys all of the benefits DELETE − Used to remove a resource.
of long-term use. Originally developed by Microsoft, POST − Used to update an existing resource
SOAP really isn’t as simple as the acronym would or create a new resource.
suggest. The Difference between SOAP vs REST OPTIONS − Used to get the supported
APIs REST is the newcomer to the block. It seeks to operations on a resource.
fix the problems with SOAP and provide a truly
simple method of accessing Web services. A web service is a collection of open protocols and
standards used for exchanging data between
Keywords: SOAP, REST, API
applications or systems. Software applications written
1. INTRODUCTION in various programming languages and running on
various platforms can use web services to exchange
RESTful Web Services are basically REST data over computer networks like the Internet in a
Architecture based Web Services. In REST manner similar to inter-process communication on a
Architecture everything is a resource. RESTful web single computer. This interoperability (e.g., between
services are light weight, highly scalable and Java and Python, or Windows and Linux applications)
maintainable and are very commonly used to create is due to the use of open standards.
APIs for web-based applications.
Web services based on REST Architecture are known
REST stands for REpresentational State Transfer. as RESTful Web Services. These web services use
REST is a web standards based architecture and uses HTTP methods to implement the concept of REST
HTTP Protocol for data communication. It revolves architecture. A RESTful web service usually defines a
around resources where every component is a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), which is a service
resource and a resource is accessed by a common that provides resource representation such as JSON
interface using HTTP standard methods. REST was and a set of HTTP Methods.
first introduced by Roy Fielding in year 2000.
2. Web Service API examples:
In REST architecture, a REST Server simply provides
access to resources and the REST client accesses and Because REST API’s use HTTP, they can be used by
presents the resources. Here each resource is practically any programming language and easy to
identified by URIs/ Global IDs. REST uses various test (it’s a requirement of a REST API that the client
representations to represent a resource like Text, and server are independent of each other allowing
JSON and XML. JSON is now the most popular either to be coded in any language and improved upon
format being used in Web Services. supporting longevity and evolution).
571
IJTSRD | May-Jun 2017
Available Online @www.ijtsrd.com
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, Volume 1(
1(4), ISSN: 2456-6470
2456 www.ijtsrd.com
Twitter API :
Twitter provides a REST API which you can
query to get the latest tweets, you can provide a
search query (or hash tag) and it will return the
results in JSON format. Example of this HTTP
request to the Twitter API to get the latest 3 tweets
matching “jQuery”.
The REST API should specify what it can provide and Following are the other major API providers:
how to use it, details such as query parameters,
The Twitter REST API
response format, request limitations, public use/API
Facebook REST API
keys, method (GET/POST/PUT/DELETE), language
Google Translate REST API
support, callback usage, HTTPS support and resource
Flickr REST API
representations should be self-descriptive.
descriptive.
Dropbox REST API
Ebay Developer REST API (product centres)
This is the information provided for the GET BING Maps REST API (services)
search/tweets REST API. BING Traffic
ffic Incidents API
Magento REST API
572
IJTSRD | May-Jun 2017
Available Online @www.ijtsrd.com
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, Volume 1(4), ISSN: 2456-6470 www.ijtsrd.com
4. Results:
class Hybrid_Auth 4.1. API Integration Output:
{ Below are some screenshots of the project code when
implemented with a valid API keys required for the
public static $version = "2.4.1-wsl-fork"; target websites.
574
IJTSRD | May-Jun 2017
Available Online @www.ijtsrd.com
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, Volume 1(4), ISSN: 2456-6470 www.ijtsrd.com
module interfaces defined and managed by its [11] T. Berners-Lee, R. Fielding, and H. Frystyk. RFC
business groups, where such responsibility belongs. 1945: Hypertext Transfer Protocol — HTTP/1.0, May
The engineering group is responsible for the 1996.
implementation of the business functionality and can
focus on its task with clear business functionality [12] J. Correia and M. Cantara. Gartner sheds light on
definitions already provided. Web services and XML developer opps in web services. Integration
technologies are evolving enterprise processes to truly Developers News, June 2003.
define ownerships and responsibility within groups—
[13] Dare Obsanjo Blog. Misunderstanding REST: A
without any constraints of technology, platform, or
look at the Bloglines, del.icio.us and Flickr APIs, May
products used within the enterprise.
2011.
Web services are one of the key elements of the so- http://www.25hoursaday.com/weblog/PermaLink.asp
called programmable Web. They are extremely x?guid=7a2f3df2-83f7-471bbbe6-2d8462060263.
versatile software elements that really have the
potential to open up a new era in software: the age of [14] B. M. Duska, D. Marwood, and M. J. Freeley.
interoperability. Web services can be effectively used The measured access characteristics of World-
to participate in and set up business-to-business (B2B) WideWeb client proxy caches. In USENIX
transactions. They are great at exposing software Symposium on Internet Technologies and Systems,
functionality to customers and integrating USITS, 1997.
heterogeneous platforms.
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOAP
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_stat
e_transfer
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_service [4]
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/ 19884295/soa p-
vs-rest-differences
[5]
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4163066/restvs-
soap-has-rest-a-better-performance
[6] http://blog.smartbear.com/apis/understandingsoap-
and-rest-basics/
[7] REST vs. SOAP: Making the Right Architectural
Decision by CesarePautasso from Faculty of
Informatics University of Lugano(USI), Switzerland;
[8] Sharing Service Semantics using SOAP-Based and
REST Web Services by Xuan Shi
[9] SOAP and Web Services by Panagiotis Louridas
[10] SOAP-Based vs. RESTful Web Services by
Fatna Belqasmi, Jagdeep Singh, Suhib Younis Bani
Melhem, and Roch H. Glitho from Concordia
University
575
IJTSRD | May-Jun 2017
Available Online @www.ijtsrd.com