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Hypermedia and the Rest of REST

REST is, undoubtedly one of the most maligned and misunderstood terms in our industry today. So many different things have been called REST, that the world has virtually lost all meaning. Many systems and applications that self-describe as “RESTful” usually are not, at least according to REST as defined in Dr. Roy T. Fielding’s 2000 Dissertation, “Architectural Styles and the Design of Network-based Software Architectures”.

The wild success of the architecture derived by Dr. Fielding led many to want to emulate it (even when it was inappropriate to do so). As a shorthand, organizations began referring to “RESTful” systems, which exposed “RESTful” APIs. Over time “REST” became a buzzword referring to a vague generalization of HTTP/json APIs that typically bear little to no resemblance to the central ideas of REST (and thus elicit few of the benefits). Hypermedia is the central pillar and defining characteristic of the REST architectural style yet it remains almost universally absent.

Hypermedia was a revolutionary idea that, while more relevant than ever, is almost forgotten in today's tech space. Consequently few reap the benefits of this idea and ever fewer know what they might be giving up.

Although not every system needs to (or should be) RESTful, it's helpful to understand the key–and often overlooked–ideas to be able to decide if they make sense for your current next project. This session introduces the key foundational ideas and shows what these ideas look like in practices. Although hypermedia and REST don't make sense for every project or system, you'll leave this session with a better understanding of these groundbreaking ideas, practical insights on how to adopt them today, and ultimately armed to approach the trade-offs of this approach mindfully and deliberately.