{"id":27907,"date":"2022-11-27T09:08:30","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T09:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/?p=27907"},"modified":"2025-11-27T09:08:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T09:08:51","slug":"differences-between-web-api-and-rest-api","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/differences-between-web-api-and-rest-api\/","title":{"rendered":"Differences between Web API and REST API"},"content":{"rendered":"

Differences between Web API and REST API<\/h1>\n

Let’s look at some of the differences between Web API<\/strong> and REST API <\/strong>in this tutorial.<\/p>\n

What is a Web API?<\/h2>\n

A Web API<\/strong> is an API that works over the web using the HTTP or HTTPS protocol.
\nIt allows one application (like a mobile app, web app, or another server) to communicate with another
\napplication over the internet.<\/p>\n

Think of a Web API as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • A general way for software to talk to each other using web technologies.<\/li>\n
  • It can follow different styles or standards, such as REST, SOAP, GraphQL, etc.<\/li>\n
  • It is not limited to one specific design pattern.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Examples:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • An API that returns weather data when your app sends a request.<\/li>\n
    • An API that lets you log in using Google or Facebook.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What is a REST API?<\/h2>\n

      A REST API<\/strong> (Representational State Transfer API) is a specific type of Web API
      \nthat follows a set of rules called the REST architectural style<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      REST APIs usually:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Use standard HTTP methods like GET<\/strong>, POST<\/strong>, PUT<\/strong>, DELETE<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • Work with resources<\/strong> (such as users, products, orders) that are identified by URLs.<\/li>\n
      • Often use data formats like JSON<\/strong> (very common) or XML.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Think of a REST API as:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • A specific way<\/strong> of designing a Web API.<\/li>\n
        • A Web API that follows REST rules and principles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Differences between Web API and REST API<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
          <\/th>\nWeb API<\/th>\nREST API<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
          Basic Definition<\/td>\nAn API that works over the web using HTTP\/HTTPS.<\/td>\nA Web API that follows the REST architectural style.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Scope<\/td>\nBroad term: includes REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and other patterns.<\/td>\nNarrower term: one specific style of building Web APIs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Design Style<\/td>\nCan use any design: REST, SOAP, RPC, GraphQL, custom designs, etc.<\/td>\nMust follow REST principles such as statelessness, resource-based URLs, and use of HTTP methods.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Use of HTTP Methods<\/td>\nMay or may not use HTTP methods in a standard way.<\/td>\nStrongly relies on standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE to represent actions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Resources and URLs<\/td>\nStructure of URLs is flexible and can be designed in many ways.<\/td>\nFocuses on resources<\/strong> (like \/users<\/code>, \/products<\/code>) with clear, consistent URLs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Data Formats<\/td>\nCan use various formats: JSON, XML, HTML, plain text, etc.<\/td>\nCommonly uses JSON or XML, with JSON being the most popular.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Standards and Rules<\/td>\nNo single strict set of rules; depends on the chosen style (REST, SOAP, etc.).<\/td>\nFollows REST constraints such as client-server, stateless communication, cacheable responses, and layered system.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Relationship<\/td>\n\u201cWeb API\u201d is the bigger category.<\/td>\n\u201cREST API\u201d is a type of Web API within that category.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Typical Use Cases<\/td>\nAny web-based communication: payments, authentication, third-party integrations, etc.<\/td>\nModern web and mobile app backends, microservices, public APIs (like social media APIs).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Example<\/td>\nAn API that uses SOAP XML messages over HTTP is still a Web API but not REST.<\/td>\nAn API where GET \/users<\/code> returns a list of users in JSON format, and POST \/users<\/code> creates a new user.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

          In general:<\/h2>\n

          Every REST API is a Web API, but not every Web API is a REST API<\/strong>.
          \nWeb API is a broad category; REST API is a specific style inside that category.<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Web API:<\/strong> Any API that works over the web using HTTP\/HTTPS.<\/li>\n
          • REST API:<\/strong> A Web API that follows REST rules and uses HTTP in a structured, resource-focused way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Differences between Web API and REST API Let’s look at some of the differences between Web API and REST API in this tutorial. What is a Web API? A Web API is an API that works over the web using the HTTP or HTTPS protocol. It allows one application (like a mobile app, web app, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-automation","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27907"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27910,"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27907\/revisions\/27910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.testingdocs.com\/questions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}