Pagaltzis: on the brilliance of REST
2009-02-03 @ 09:49#
in a recent thread on the oft-visited topic of "REST-ful URIs", Aristotle Pagaltzis on "the brilliance of REST:"
The brilliance of REST is all about the hypermedia constraint. The other constraints are only loosely dependent on each other and individually negotiable. But together they form the structure that supports the hypermedia constraint, and the hypermedia constraint in turn multiplies the value of the other constraints. It is the hypermedia constraint that makes REST as a style greater than the sum of its constraints. It is the focal point and amplifier of all the constraints.
couldn't agree more. that's why i often describe rest using my "REST Upside Down approach. if you start w/ hyperlinking, the URI design will 'fall into place' without much effort.