RESTful APIs (Representational State Transfer) allow different types of applications to interact with each other and share data.
The following are the main types of applications that interact with a REST API:
- Web clients: Web browsers or mobile apps can make HTTP requests to a REST API to retrieve or update data.
- Server-side applications: Other servers or back-end systems can also make HTTP requests to a REST API to retrieve or update data. This includes other microservices, backend systems, or third-party services.
- Scripting languages: Developers can use scripting languages such as Python, JavaScript, or Ruby to interact with a REST API and access data or functionality.
- Command-line tools: Developers can use command-line tools such as cURL or HTTPie to make HTTP requests to a REST API and access data or functionality.
- Custom applications: Developers can build custom applications that interact with a REST API to access data or functionality.
Conclusion
RESTful APIs can be interacted with by a wide variety of applications, including web clients, server-side applications, scripting languages, command-line tools and custom applications.