An application program interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE data is known as a Restful API. This type of API is based on representational state transfer (REST) technology and is commonly used in web services development.

How Does it Work?

A Restful API breaks down transactions into small modules, each addressing a specific part of the transaction. This modular design provides developers with great flexibility, but can also be challenging to create from scratch.

The API takes advantage of HTTP methodologies defined by the RFC 2616 protocol and uses GET to retrieve a resource, PUT to change or update a resource, POST to create a resource, and DELETE to remove it.

The Restful API operates in a stateless manner, with networked components being treated as resources that are requested for access. All calls are stateless, meaning nothing is retained by the RESTful service between executions. This makes Restful  API a preferred option for web use and for cloud applications, as stateless components can be easily redeployed in the event of failure and can scale to accommodate load changes.

The future of API design is likely to be dominated by Restful API design, especially in the context of cloud computing and microservices. The API acts as a means of controlling the URL decoding, making Restful API design a crucial aspect of modern application development.