What REST Really Is: Clearing Up Confusion

Let’s get this straight—<mark>REST is not a communication protocol.</mark> I know, I know, most tutorials and even some engineers casually say “REST API means HTTP API” and then throw in a bunch of GET and POST examples like that’s the whole story. But dig a little deeper , and *<mark>you’ll see a very fine but important line that separates REST from HTTP.</mark>*

REST is not HTTP

REST, short for **Representational State Transfer**, is actually **<mark>just a style</mark>**—a set of **rules or architectural constraints** that define how you should design your APIs. That’s it. It’s not a tool. Not a protocol. Not a library.

But yes, HTTP is the **most common** protocol REST is used with—because it's available, reliable, and works great for the web. But in theory, REST can also run over **UDP, WebSockets,** or even carrier pigeons (lol maybe not pigeons 🐦).


So, what does REST actually mean?

Here’s REST in easy terms:

* Every resource (like user , product, post) should be **<mark>uniquely addressable</mark>**—usually by a URL. 👉 `/users/123` or `/products/789` * You should use **<mark>standard verbs</mark>** like `GET` , `POST` , `PUT` , and `DELETE` to act on those resources. * It should be **<mark>stateless</mark>**—the server doesn’t remember what you did last time. Every request must contain all the info needed. * And responses should return **<mark>representations</mark>** (usually JSON or XML) of the data—not just some raw message.

REST is Simple, but Not the Fastest!

Now let’s bust another myth:

REST isn’t the only way to build APIs.

There’s **RPC** (Remote Procedure Call), **GraphQL**, **SOAP**, and others.

<mark>REST is </mark> **<mark>popular</mark>** <mark>because:</mark>

* It’s **easy** to understand * Maps directly to web URLs * Works naturally with browsers and HTTP clients

**<mark>But:</mark>**

* It can be **slower** than RPC because it often involves more overhead * It’s **less flexible** when you want to query deeply nested data (which is where GraphQL shines)

<mark>So people building ultra-fast systems</mark> (like game servers, micro-services talking internally, or trading apps) often use **gRPC** or **GraphQL**, not REST.

REST vs HTTP vs RCP\\gRCP vs GraphQL

| **Concept** | **What it is** | **Common Protocol Used** | **Speed** | **Use Case** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **REST** | Design style | HTTP (commonly) | Moderate | Web APIs, CRUD | | **HTTP** | Communication protocol | HTTP | Varies | Browsers, clients | | **RPC / gRPC** | Function call style | HTTP 2, TCP | Fast | Microservices | | **GraphQL** | Query language | HTTP, WebSockets | Fast | Complex queries |

Final Thoughts

REST is awesome, and it feels like the web. But it’s not the only way. And definitely **<mark>not the same as HTTP.</mark>**