First and foremost an API which services it's clients need well is a good API. There are many people arguing things that aren't REST (e.g. pretty urls, media t

First and foremost an API which services it's clients need well is a good API. There are many people arguing things that aren't REST (e.g. pretty urls, media type based versioning) in the name of REST, and there are also (fewer) people trying to talk about things that are REST (e.g. HATEOAS) in the name of REST. This makes it (understandably) easy to blame REST due to the large amount of confusion. In fact, I did a Bad Thing in my other comment by pointing out that REST-as-widely-understood isn't REST as all the mature individuals who are interested in REST APIs have taken to referring to them as Hypermedia APIs in order to avoid having to rehash the differences and kick off a flame war. I wouldn't have done it if OP hadn't mentioned HATEOAS.