[kgwxd]

I stopped using the term REST for anything I've worked on/with years ago. I just call them Web APIs and no one has ever cared beyond that. REST as an idea is still ineresting, REST as a buzzword feels as dated as "Web 2.0" at this point.

[freetime2]

I think this really is the correct approach. I have come across so many differing interpretations of what is properly “RESTful” over the years. Even worse, I have found myself in technical discussions where we were more focused on following proper RESTful API principles rather than simply going with what works best for our use case.

I think it’s useful to read and understand the concepts in Fielding’s dissertation. But don’t set out to build a RESTful API. Set out to build the most appropriate API for the problem you are solving, which may or may not involve incorporating various elements from Fielding’s dissertation.