What is the RESTful way of adding non-CRUD operations to a RESTful service

Question

With the help of good code examples, can you explain what the "RESTful" way of adding non-CRUD operations to a RESTful service is?

Answer 1

In RESTful API design, accommodating operations beyond the standard Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) actions requires thoughtful structuring to maintain adherence to REST principles. Here are some recommended approaches:

Action as a Resource:

Concept: Treat the action itself as a resource that can be created or manipulated.

Implementation: Define a new resource representing the action and use standard HTTP methods to interact with it.

Example: To deploy code, you might create a DeploymentRequest resource:

POST /deploymentRequests

{

  "codeId": "12345",

  "targetServer": "server-01"

}

Sub-Resource for Actions:

Concept: Model the action as a sub-resource of the primary resource.

Implementation: Create a sub-resource endpoint that represents the action and use appropriate HTTP methods to interact with it.

Example: To activate a user account:

POST /users/{userId}/activation

State Modification via PATCH:

Concept: Change the state of a resource by updating its properties.

Implementation: Use the PATCH method to modify the resource's state attribute.

Example: To deactivate a user:

PATCH /users/{userId}

{

  "status": "inactive"

}