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REST

REST

41 6.1
A way to design web services that use simple HTTP requests to access and change resources
  • noun
  • /rɛst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : REST
  • The software developers used a REST architecture to create a more efficient web service.
  • a REST interface

Examples

  • The Web interface builds on the REST interface using standard Asynchronous JavaScript (AJAX) and XML techniques.

    Academic text (2012)
  • So we must observe many stars with the REST and hope that chance rewards us with a transiting ESE.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The direction of search is, therefore, the most important issue of REST operation.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The REST interface is versioned, so GO can evolve its REST interface without breaking existing clients.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Excellence (CONET) 6 employed a REST API to provide uniform web-based access to different testbeds.

    Academic text (2012)
  • When designing network applications, the team decided to implement a REST API to simplify data access.

  • With the REST approach, clients can interact with server resources using standard HTTP methods.

Idioms

35 3.7

Be sure that something will happen, so do not worry

to rest my case
  • Informal
11 6.5

To say you have finished and proved your point

7 7.7

To stop trying to improve after past success

7 2.4

Someone or something that is quiet and still and not moving

at rest
  • Formal
3 6.1

People say someone is not alive in a gentle, respectful way

2 4.4

People say this when what happens next is well known

rest his soul
  • Archaic
1 9.0

People say it to show respect for a man who has died

at rest
  • Specialized
1 5.1

Stored information that is not being sent or used

A wish that a dead man finds peace after death

Tired people must keep working or dealing with problems without a break

7.6

People say this when they have a lot of work and little rest

rest in piss
  • Offensive
9.9

A rude, joking way to show dislike for someone or something that is gone

Compounds

24 1.8

A place beside a road where people stop to rest, use toilets, or buy food

bed rest
  • Specialized
16 2.6

Staying in bed for health reasons when a doctor says so

8 2.3

A day when people do not work and relax, often for religious reasons

rest home
  • Archaic
8 3.4

A place where older people live and get care

7 1.6

A place beside a highway where drivers stop to rest and use toilets

eternal rest
  • Formal
5 7.1

A peaceful state after death that lasts forever

4 2.0

A day to relax and not work

3 2.5

A short time to relax and get energy back

chin rest
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A small support on a violin or viola that you put your chin on for comfort and stability while playing

rest area
  • Jargon
1 3.2

A safe place in a game where players heal and save progress

rest house
  • Archaic
1 4.6

A building where travelers can sleep and rest

rest mass
  • Specialized
1 7.4

The amount of matter in an object measured when it is not moving, not how heavy it feels

rest-cure
  • Archaic
1 8.4

A period of bed rest to help someone recover from stress or nervous problems

musket rest
  • Archaic
9.9

A forked pole about four feet long that supports a musket when you fire it

gun rest
  • Jargon
9.9

The top board on the side of a wooden boat that makes the side stronger

half rest
  • Specialized
6.1

A short silence in music that lasts two beats

quarter rest
  • Specialized
4.7

A music symbol showing silence for one beat

rest energy
  • Specialized
8.2

Energy equal to a particle's mass when it is not moving, calculated as mass times the speed of light squared

9.9

A plant with tough roots and pink or purple flowers

whole rest
  • Specialized
4.0

A silent part in music that usually lasts four beats

Surface Forms

REST singular
RESTs plural

Etymology

REST comes from the acronym Representational State Transfer, a name for a way to move web data as 'representations' and 'state' between a client and a server. A helpful way to remember it is that the common word 'rest' suggests not keeping memory — REST systems are 'stateless', so each request works alone and the server does not keep the client's past, making web services simpler and easier to handle many users.