A beginner-friendly explanation of REST APIs and why they're essential in modern web development.
May 21, 2025
|
3 min read
If you've spent any time around web development, you've probably heard the term REST API. But what exactly is it?
A REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface) allows different software systems to communicate with each other over the internet using HTTP methods.
It's one of the most common ways for frontend applications to interact with a backend server.
Here's how you might fetch data from a REST API using JavaScript:
The server responds with data (usually in JSON format), which you can use in your application.
users
, posts
, etc.) the API manages./api/users
.GET
: Retrieve dataPOST
: Create new dataPUT
: Update existing dataDELETE
: Remove dataLet's say we're building a blog. The API might look like this:
GET /posts
- Fetch all blog postsGET /posts/1
- Fetch post with ID 1POST /posts
- Create a new postPUT /posts/1
- Update post with ID 1DELETE /posts/1
- Delete post with ID 1Try creating a simple REST API using Express.js or connect to a public API like https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
to experiment. Once you understand REST, you're one step closer to mastering backend development!