If you're actually doing REST, the URI convention is irrelevant since you won't be constructing URI's to being with, but following the URI's given to you by previous entry points. Actual REST requires you follow links, not construct them. So having well defined URI conventions like above actually harm the REST API be encouraging API clients to construct links manually rather than use the links given to them and it hurts the API by not allowing the server to change the URI structure over time because clients become bound to a particular format. Those conventions are harmful under the principles of REST as they encourage tight coupling and prevent change. URI's are not supposed to matter for a reason, REST is supposed to be hypermedia, i.e. follow links, don't build them.