What REST Really Is: Clearing Up Confusion

Let’s get this straight—REST is not a communication protocol. 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 you’ll see a very fine but important line that separates REST from HTTP.

REST is not HTTP

REST, short for Representational State Transfer, is actually just a style—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 uniquely addressable—usually by a URL.

  👉 /users/123 or /products/789

• You should use standard verbs like GET , POST , PUT , and DELETE to act on those resources.

• It should be stateless—the server doesn’t remember what you did last time. Every request must contain all the info needed.

• And responses should return representations (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.

REST is popular because:

• It’s easy to understand

• Maps directly to web URLs

• Works naturally with browsers and HTTP clients

But:

• 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)

So people building ultra-fast systems (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

Final Thoughts

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