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What are REST APIs?

REST APIs are a popular way to interface with web services. They are typically easy to use and well- documented. However, they can be slow, and they may require authentication.

REST APIs are built on the principles of the Representational State Transfer architectural pattern, which defines how communication should happen over the internet. The main idea behind this architectural pattern is that a given resource, such as an article, can be represented in multiple ways, like in JSON, XML, or HTML. When a client, such as a web browser, makes a request to a server for a specific resource, the server will return the resource in the requested format.

One of the main benefits of using a REST API is that it is language- agnostic, meaning that any programming language can be used to interact with the API.

One of the drawbacks of REST APIs is that they can be slow, due to the overhead of making multiple HTTP requests. Another drawback is that they are often tightly coupled to a specific implementation, meaning that if the underlying data changes, the API will likely need to be updated as well.

If you're looking to create or consume a REST API, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, decide what format you want the data in (JSON, XML, etc.), and make sure the API can support that format. Second, consider whether you need any authentication or authorization for the API. Finally, take a look at the documentation to see how easy the API is to use.

Open source API Security testing tools
Please check BLST Security open source CLI tool - Cherrybomb which is a CLI tool that helps you avoid undefined user behavior by validating your API specifications.

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