A Representational State Transfer (REST) API is an architectural style, not a protocol, that provides a set of design principles for web services to communicate with each other. It uses standard HTTP methods to perform operations on resources, transferring a representation of the resource's state to the client in a flexible format like JSON.
REST APIs are defined by a set of architectural constraints that ensure they are scalable, simple, and reliable. These principles guide how components interact within a distributed system, leading to a more decoupled and maintainable architecture.
Designing a robust REST API involves adhering to established conventions that enhance usability and maintainability. Following these best practices ensures your API is intuitive for developers, secure, and scalable over time.
While both facilitate communication between services, REST and RPC follow fundamentally different architectural philosophies.
REST APIs are the backbone of modern web development, enabling different applications to communicate seamlessly. Their flexibility and scalability make them suitable for a wide range of applications, from simple mobile apps to complex enterprise systems.
Securing REST APIs is critical for protecting sensitive data. Implementing HTTPS encrypts all data in transit, preventing interception by malicious actors. Strong authentication and authorization mechanisms are also vital to ensure only verified users can access specific resources.
Key challenges include preventing common vulnerabilities through rigorous input validation and rate limiting. Proper error handling must be implemented to avoid leaking sensitive system information. Enforcing the principle of least privilege further limits potential damage by restricting access to only what is necessary.
Isn't REST just another name for a protocol like SOAP?
No, REST is an architectural style, not a protocol. It provides design constraints for creating scalable web services. Unlike SOAP's rigid specification, REST leverages existing HTTP methods and standards, offering greater flexibility in implementation.
Why is statelessness so important for REST APIs?
Statelessness ensures scalability and reliability. Since each request contains all necessary information, the server doesn't store client context. This simplifies server design and allows any server instance to handle any request, improving load balancing and fault tolerance.
Do REST APIs always have to use JSON for data exchange?
While JSON is the most popular format due to its readability and ease of parsing, REST is format-agnostic. APIs can also use XML, HTML, or plain text to transfer data, depending on the specific requirements of the application.
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Cold emailing is sending unsolicited emails to potential customers you haven't contacted before, aiming to start a business conversation.
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Closed Won is a CRM status for a sales deal that has been successfully concluded, resulting in a signed contract and a new customer.
A buying signal is any action from a prospect that indicates they are interested in making a purchase, helping sales teams prioritize leads.
Account-Based Selling is a B2B strategy where sales and marketing treat high-value accounts as markets of one, using personalized outreach.
A sales kickoff (SKO) is an annual event for a sales team to celebrate wins, align on goals, and get motivated for the upcoming year.
Net Revenue Retention (NRR) is the percentage of recurring revenue kept from existing customers, including upsells, downgrades, and churn.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) software helps teams coordinate personalized marketing and sales efforts to land high-value customer accounts.
The Dark Funnel describes customer buying activities that are untrackable by companies, such as private chats and word-of-mouth referrals.
Revenue forecasting is the process of estimating a company's future revenue, using historical data and market trends to guide strategic planning.
A sales intelligence platform is software that provides sales teams with data and insights about prospects to help them sell more effectively.
Data security protects digital information from unauthorized access, corruption, or theft throughout its entire lifecycle.
X-Sell, or cross-selling, is a sales strategy of selling additional, related products or services to an existing customer base.
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An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.
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Workflow automation uses rule-based logic to run a sequence of tasks that would otherwise require manual human effort to complete.
Account-Based Sales (ABS) is a focused B2B strategy where sales and marketing teams treat high-value accounts as individual markets of one.
Consumer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy for managing all of a company's relationships and interactions with its customers.
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Sales enablement provides sales teams with the necessary tools, content, and information to help them sell more effectively and efficiently.
User interaction is any action a user takes within a digital interface, like clicking a button, scrolling a page, or filling out a form.
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Customer centricity is a business approach that puts the customer at the heart of every decision, aiming to build loyalty and long-term value.
Account mapping is comparing your customer list with a partner's to find common prospects and unlock new sales opportunities.
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Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.
Webhooks are automated messages sent by an app when a specific event occurs. They push real-time data to another app's unique URL.
A Target Account List (TAL) is a focused list of high-value companies that a business specifically aims to convert into customers.
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End of Day (EOD) refers to the close of business hours. It's a common deadline for tasks and reports to be completed before the workday ends.
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A sales territory is a specific group of customers or a geographic area that a salesperson or sales team is responsible for managing.
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a sales specialist who finds and qualifies new leads, building a pipeline for the sales team.
Revenue intelligence is the process of collecting and analyzing customer data to provide insights that help sales teams make smarter decisions.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites that look and feel like native mobile apps, offering features like offline access and push notifications.
Rollback procedures are a set of steps to restore a system to a previous, stable version after a failed update, ensuring minimal disruption.
Buying criteria are the specific requirements and standards a customer uses to evaluate products or services before making a decision.
Consultative selling is an approach where salespeople act as expert advisors, diagnosing customer needs to provide the most suitable solutions.
Closed Lost is a sales term for a deal that didn't go through. The prospect decided not to buy, or the sales team disqualified them.
“End of Quarter” (EOQ) refers to the final weeks of a business quarter when sales teams rush to meet quotas, often leading to a flurry of deals.
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An Account Executive (AE) is a sales professional responsible for closing new business deals and managing existing client relationships to drive revenue.
Predictive lead generation uses data and AI to find prospects most likely to buy, helping teams focus their efforts on high-value leads.
Product recommendations are a marketing strategy that uses customer data to suggest relevant products, boosting sales and customer engagement.
Hadoop is an open-source framework designed for the distributed storage and processing of extremely large data sets across clusters of computers.
Mobile compatibility ensures your site or app works flawlessly on mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, for a seamless user experience.
Feature flags let you remotely control features in your app without new code. This enables safe testing, gradual rollouts, and quick rollbacks.
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White labeling is when a company puts its own branding on a product or service that was actually produced by a different company.
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A knowledge base is a self-serve online library of information about a product, service, department, or topic.
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a tool that centralizes customer data to help manage interactions and nurture relationships.
Lead generation is the process of identifying and cultivating potential customers for a business's products or services.
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Sales intelligence is technology that gathers and analyzes data to help salespeople find and understand prospects and existing clients.
An enterprise is a large-scale organization, often a corporation, defined by its complex structure and substantial number of employees.
A Marketing Qualified Account (MQA) is a target company that has shown significant engagement, indicating it's ready for the sales team to pursue.
Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication method allowing users to access multiple applications with one set of login credentials.
Psychographics categorizes people by their attitudes, interests, and lifestyles, revealing the 'why' behind their purchasing decisions.
Demand generation is the process of creating awareness and interest in your products to build a pipeline of qualified leads for your sales team.
Gamification applies game mechanics like points, badges, and leaderboards to non-game activities to boost engagement and motivate users.
Digital advertising is the practice of delivering promotional content to users through various online and digital channels like social media or search engines.
SFDC stands for Salesforce Dot Com, a popular cloud-based CRM platform that helps companies manage their customer interactions and data.
A sales call is a real-time conversation between a salesperson and a prospect, aiming to persuade them to purchase a product or service.
Generic keywords are broad search terms that lack specific details like brand or location. They attract a wide audience with less specific intent.
Event marketing is a strategy where brands engage directly with target audiences through live events like trade shows, conferences, or webinars.
Personalization in sales means tailoring outreach to a prospect's specific needs, interests, and context to make communication more relevant.
Sales partnerships are strategic alliances where two companies co-sell products to expand their reach, generate new leads, and increase revenue.
Outbound lead generation means proactively reaching out to potential customers who haven't yet expressed interest to introduce them to your brand.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a focused B2B strategy where marketing and sales collaborate to target and convert high-value accounts.
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based model where affiliates earn a commission for promoting another company’s products or services.
Lead generation software helps businesses automate finding and capturing potential customers' contact information to build sales pipelines.
Triggers are predefined conditions that, when met, automatically launch a workflow or action, ensuring timely and relevant outreach.
Persona-based marketing uses fictional customer profiles, or personas, to create targeted messaging for specific audience segments.
Video selling uses personalized video messages to engage prospects, build rapport, and guide them through the sales funnel to close more deals.
NoSQL ("Not only SQL") databases offer a flexible alternative to relational models, excelling at managing large and unstructured data sets.
GPCTBA/C&I is a sales qualification framework for understanding a prospect's goals, plans, challenges, timeline, budget, and authority.
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An email cadence is a scheduled sequence of emails sent to prospects over a specific period to nurture leads and drive engagement.
Intent data tracks a user's online behavior—like searches and site visits—to identify signals that they are ready to make a purchase.
Microservices is an architecture where apps are built as a collection of small, independent services that communicate with each other over APIs.
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Total Addressable Market (TAM) represents the maximum revenue a company can earn by selling its product or service in a specific market.
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