What are the key components of a RESTful API and how do they differ from SOAP?

During my final year in college, I worked on a group project that involved creating a simple RESTful API for a library system. We used JSON for data interchange and implemented basic CRUD operations—like adding, retrieving, updating, and deleting book records—using HTTP methods. This experience taught me the fundamental components of REST, such as statelessness and the importance of resource identification through URIs. I also learned how RESTful APIs are easier to consume in web applications compared to SOAP, as they are lightweight and more intuitive for developers.

As a volunteer for a local non-profit, I helped develop an event management system that utilized a RESTful API to handle registrations. We wanted to create a seamless experience for users, so we focused on using straightforward endpoints to manage event data. This experience highlighted my understanding of REST components like resource representation and how they differ from SOAP, particularly in terms of flexibility and ease of integration with various front-end technologies. It was rewarding to see how effective and user-friendly our API was in managing participant information.

In my internship at a tech startup, I was involved in integrating third-party RESTful APIs into our application. I quickly realized how much simpler it was to work with REST compared to SOAP, especially in terms of handling responses and managing data formats. I learned to use tools like Postman to test API endpoints and understood how REST's statelessness leads to better performance. This real-world experience solidified my knowledge of key REST components and their practical applications in software development.