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I don't have strong feelings about this article except for the fact that it once again uses REST to mean "JSON over HTTP" when, in fact, REST requires HATEOAS a

I don't have strong feelings about this article except for the fact that it once again uses REST to mean "JSON over HTTP" when, in fact, REST requires HATEOAS and the vast majority of APIs that claim to be RESTful aren't, and almost certainly shouldn't be, since they aren't using a hypermedia/hypertext. https://intercoolerjs.org/2016/01/18/rescuing-rest.html https://intercoolerjs.org/2016/01/18/rescuing-rest.html https://intercoolerjs.org/2016/02/17/api-churn-vs-security.html https://intercoolerjs.org/2016/02/17/api-churn-vs-security.h... The API community made a mistake in appropriating the terms and concepts from REST (a description of the original web architecture) and we've been unwinding that mistake for almost two decades now, but the momentum of language is amazing...

nicholasjarnold 6y ago
Yes, true pure technical REST probably does require HATEOAS. However, there's still a lot of value in a "RESTful" API that that achieves at least 'Level 2' in the so-called Richardson Maturity Model. https://www.martinfowler.com/articles/richardsonMaturityModel.html https://www.martinfowler.com/articles/richardsonMaturityMode... On my teams I advocate for building Level 2 maturity "RESTfulness" into the design as it seems to strike a good balance between following the principal of least surprise for those who need to consume it and the heavier implementation effort required to get to that Level 3, which as you point out is probably not even appropriate in most cases.
gipp 6y ago
My sense is that the article would agree strongly with you here but didn't want to get into that long digression.
solipsism 6y ago
Seriously, give it up. It's a losing battle. The term means something different from what you want to to mean. How many HN comments about it are we going to have to suffer through?
- recursivedoubts 6y ago
  At least one more!
mixmastamyk 6y ago
What types of applications is HATEOAS appropriate for? A CMS perhaps?

nicholasjarnold 6y ago

Yes, true pure technical REST probably does require HATEOAS. However, there's still a lot of value in a "RESTful" API that that achieves at least 'Level 2' in the so-called Richardson Maturity Model. https://www.martinfowler.com/articles/richardsonMaturityModel.html https://www.martinfowler.com/articles/richardsonMaturityMode... On my teams I advocate for building Level 2 maturity "RESTfulness" into the design as it seems to strike a good balance between following the principal of least surprise for those who need to consume it and the heavier implementation effort required to get to that Level 3, which as you point out is probably not even appropriate in most cases.

gipp 6y ago

My sense is that the article would agree strongly with you here but didn't want to get into that long digression.

solipsism 6y ago

Seriously, give it up. It's a losing battle. The term means something different from what you want to to mean. How many HN comments about it are we going to have to suffer through?

recursivedoubts 6y ago
At least one more!

mixmastamyk 6y ago

What types of applications is HATEOAS appropriate for? A CMS perhaps?