RESTful Web API Patterns and Practices Cookbook

Appendix A. Guiding Principles of RESTful Web APIs

The guiding principle driving this recipe collection is:

Leverage global reach to solve problems you haven’t thought of for people you have never met.

The supporting principles are illustrated in Figure A-1 and described further in the following list.

Figure A-1. RESTful web API principles

Discovery

Good recipes increase our global reach—the ability to share our solutions and to find and use the solutions of others.

Extension

Good recipes make well-designed services available for others to use in ways we haven’t thought of yet.

Composition

Good recipes make it possible for “strangers” (services and/or people) to safely and successfully interact with each other to solve a problem.

Evolution

Good recipes promote longevity and independent evolution on a scale of decades.

Longevity

Good recipes recognize that nothing is permanent and things will always change over time.