What is a REST API?
Review note: The answer refers to the original author's CV or target job offer — adapt it to your own experience.
Answer out loud or in your head first, then compare.
Answer
REST is a way of designing APIs based on resources and clearly defined operations, among other things. In a web API a resource can be a project, a user or a document. A resource has an address, and the meaning of an action also comes from the HTTP method.
For example, GET /projects/12 fetches a project, and DELETE /projects/12 asks for it to be deleted. Each request should carry the information needed to handle it; the server shouldn't rely on a hidden stage of an earlier exchange with the client. REST doesn't simply mean “JSON over HTTP”, and JSON is just one possible data format. Practical APIs often apply some REST principles rather than the ideal theoretical model.
Why it matters: REST is in your CV and is a typical backend foundation.
Possible follow-ups: How do you tell a resource address from an address describing an arbitrary command?
How did it go? Be honest — “Not yet” puts the question on your review list.
Further reading
- AWS: What is RESTful API?(opens in a new tab)Accessed 22.10.2026. Resources, operations and REST principles.