REST

REST stands for REpresentational State Transfer and is an architectural style used for web applications and HTTP related domains. REST is based upon five key principles (from http://www.infoq.com/articles/rest-introduction):

• Provide a URI for every resource/noun/thing
• Use links (URLs) to provide more information on a resource
  
• Utilize standard methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
  
• Provide multiple representations of a resource
  
• Communicate statelessly (separates the client and server to simplify interaction)
  

In general, some of the benefits of using REST include:

• Caching support
• Simplifies the client side application
• Independent of the server which allows for greater server scalability
• Easier integration of parts and applications
  

Should the Visual Studio Sensor project provide a RESTful interface?

The Visual Studio Sensor relies on the Hackystat SensorShell to transmit data to the Hackystat SensorBase. Because of this the Visual Studio Sensor project does not have to provide a RESTful interface as it needs only to successfully communicate with the SensorShell (which then in turn transmits data to the SensorBase). Since the SensorShell is a client-side "middleware" library that is an independent module of Hackystat (and subsequently part of another project under the Hackystat domain), whether the SensorShell provides a RESTful interface or not is beyond the scope of the Visual Studio Sensor project.

Does the Hackystat API obey REST design principles?

The Hackystat API does obey REST design principles. It utilizes URIs for users, projects, sensor data types, and sensor data. In addition, the sensor data type resource collection incorporates links to point to more information for each individual resource. The Hackystat API also uses standard methods which are the HTTP protocol methods GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, and HEAD. Lastly, communication is handled in a stateless fashion as it does not have to keep track of client states in order to communicate. All in all, the Hackystat API seems to follow the REST design principles to the letter.

Does the Hackystat ProjectViewer obey REST design principles?

The Hackystat ProjectViewer does not obey REST design principles and instead relies on RPC (Remote Procedure Call). It still incorporates the use of URIs but relies on methods or "verbs" rather than on resources or "nouns" like a REST design would.