REST API vs Web App: Key Difference
44sExplains the core difference between web apps and REST APIs in a simple, relatable way.
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In this course, Jonathan, a full stack web developer and instructor at Treehouse, teaches how to build a REST API using Laravel, a popular PHP framework. The video covers the basics of REST, including statelessness and the difference between application and resource state, and guides through setting up a Laravel project, creating a database, and preparing a welcome view.
Chapters
[0:05]
Course Introduction
Jonathan introduces himself as a full stack web developer and instructor at Treehouse, and states the goal of building a REST API with Laravel.
[0:20]
REST API vs Web Application
Both take requests and return responses, but web apps return HTML while REST APIs commonly return JSON or XML.
[0:44]
What is REST?
REST stands for Representational State Transfer, an architectural style introduced by Roy Fielding in 2000, with six guiding constraints.
[1:08]
Statelessness Constraint
The most important constraint: requests must contain all necessary information, and no state context is stored on the server, only on the client.
[1:26]
Application State vs Resource State
Resource state is the state of data on the server; application state is everything needed to keep the app running, stored in server memory.
[2:06]
Prerequisites
Familiarity with setting up a Laravel project with Composer and basic understanding of REST APIs using Postman is required.
[2:39]
Habit of Reading Laravel Documentation
Develop a habit of reading Laravel documentation regularly, and ensure you select the correct Laravel version.
[3:06]
Value of Building REST APIs
REST APIs are valuable for PHP developers as front-end frameworks and mobile apps need backend servers to respond to requests.
[3:35]
Course Project Overview
Build a REST API that allows submitting favorite books and authors, with CRUD operations, a common use case for APIs and SaaS applications.
[4:11]
Installing Laravel with Composer
Install Laravel with Composer, create a new project in the desired directory, e.g., 'laravel_apps' on the desktop.
[4:42]
Composer Update Note
Existing Laravel projects with dependencies need 'composer update' to install dependencies, but new projects do not.
[5:17]
Navigating to Project and Opening in VS Code
Use 'cd Laravel_rest_api/' then open in Visual Studio Code with 'code .'.
[5:37]
Serving Laravel Application
Use 'php artisan serve' to run the Laravel app, and open a new terminal for other commands.
[5:59]
Creating Database and Updating .env
Create a database, user, and password, then add them to the .env file. Some Mac users may need DB_SOCKET.
[6:33]
Testing Database Connection
Run 'php artisan migrate' to test the database connection and credentials.
[6:49]
Updating Welcome View
Edit the welcome view in resources/views to add links for README, authors, books, and a JSON formatter Chrome extension.
[8:34]
Summary of Progress
Installed Laravel, added database credentials, tested migration, and updated the welcome view. Next: delete default migrations and create models and migrations.
By the end of this course, you will have built a fully functional REST API with Laravel that supports CRUD operations for books and authors, a valuable skill for any PHP developer.
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Study Flashcards (8)
What does REST stand for?
easy
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What does REST stand for?
easy
Click to reveal answer
Representational State Transfer.
0:47
Who first introduced the REST architectural style?
easy
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Who first introduced the REST architectural style?
easy
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Roy Fielding in 2000.
0:53
What is the most important constraint of REST?
medium
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What is the most important constraint of REST?
medium
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Statelessness: requests must contain all necessary information, and no state context is stored on the server.
1:08
What is the difference between resource state and application state?
hard
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What is the difference between resource state and application state?
hard
Click to reveal answer
Resource state is the state of data on the server; application state is everything needed to keep the app running, stored in server memory.
1:26
What command is used to create a new Laravel project with Composer?
medium
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What command is used to create a new Laravel project with Composer?
medium
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composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel project_name
4:28
What command is used to serve a Laravel application?
easy
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What command is used to serve a Laravel application?
easy
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php artisan serve
5:37
What command tests the database connection in Laravel?
easy
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What command tests the database connection in Laravel?
easy
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php artisan migrate
6:33
What is the purpose of the JSON Formatter Chrome extension?
easy
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What is the purpose of the JSON Formatter Chrome extension?
easy
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It displays JSON in a more human-readable format.
8:06
💡 Key Takeaways
📊
Definition of REST
Provides a clear, foundational definition of REST as an architectural style.
0:44
⚖️
Statelessness Constraint
Emphasizes the critical constraint of statelessness in REST APIs.
1:08
💡
Application State vs Resource State
Clarifies a common point of confusion in REST architecture.
1:26
💡
Value of REST APIs
Explains why building REST APIs is a valuable skill for PHP developers.
3:06
🔧
Installing Laravel with Composer
Provides a concrete step-by-step instruction for setting up a Laravel project.
4:11Full Transcript
[00:00] [MUSIC]
[00:05] Hi, I'm Jonathan,
[00:08] instructor here at Treehouse.
[00:12] In this course, we're going to
[00:16] one of the most popular
[00:20] Even if you've never built an API,
[00:22] the concept is very similar
[00:26] They both take in a request and
[00:30] The critical difference
[00:33] Web applications return an HTML format.
[00:37] While REST APIs most commonly return
[00:44] So what is REST, exactly?
[00:47] REST is an acronym that stands for
[00:53] An architectural style first
[00:58] Check the teachers notes below to
[01:02] the six guiding constraints for
[01:08] The most important constraint
[01:12] Requests from clients to the server
[01:14] must contain all of the information
[01:19] And cannot store any state context
[01:26] It's also important to remember that
[01:28] application state is not
[01:33] Resource state, in the context of REST,
[01:36] is the state of some data represented
[01:42] Application state, on the other hand,
[01:47] your application running,
[01:52] and is faster than storing and
[01:57] For example,
[02:01] such as creating, modifying,
[02:06] Before taking this course, you should
[02:11] project with composer and have a basic
[02:18] If you need to brush up on Laravel,
[02:23] Postman, check out
[02:27] As always,
[02:30] slow down this video, and
[02:35] So feel free to move the closed
[02:39] Finally, try to develop a solid habit of
[02:42] reading the Laravel
[02:46] And be sure to select the correct
[02:50] Laravel has excellent documentation.
[02:53] And if you're not sure what version
[02:56] navigate to your project
[03:00] type php artisan --version to find out.
[03:06] Building a REST API is
[03:10] developer should have in their
[03:15] Front-end frameworks are becoming
[03:18] they will all need a backend server
[03:23] Mobile applications have become part
[03:27] And yet, they all need to
[03:31] some infrastructure, most commonly REST.
[03:35] In this course,
[03:39] that allows you to submit your
[03:43] The REST API we're building from scratch
[03:50] and also allows you to submit,
[03:56] This aggregating of information
[04:00] as well as SaaS applications,
[04:05] such as TurboTax, or Spotify.
[04:09] Let's get started.
[04:11] To get started, you'll need to
[04:14] then create a new Laravel project in
[04:19] For demonstration purposes,
[04:21] I'll use laravel_apps in
[04:28] Open the terminal and
[04:29] navigate to the desktop using the cd
[04:35] then use the following command to create a
[04:42] While Composer installs Laravel, it's
[04:47] project that uses dependencies, will
[04:52] to install any dependencies used
[04:56] Since this is a new project, we don't need
[05:01] you will eventually need to use
[05:05] when you want to run an existing
[05:10] To learn more about Composer update, and
[05:13] Laravel mix,
[05:17] Next, let's navigate to our
[05:22] cd Laravel_rest_api/ then
[05:27] to open our new Laravel
[05:32] Finally, let's review our Laravel app
[05:37] the integrated terminal like this.
[05:45] Great job.
[05:46] We have our Laravel application up and
[05:51] Before we continue,
[05:54] we can continue serving our Laravel
[05:59] Next, create a database, user, and
[06:02] password which will add to
[06:11] Note that some Mac OS
[06:15] an additional database
[06:20] Remember, if you need to review how
[06:24] password, or
[06:28] max length errors, be sure to
[06:33] To test our new Laravel application and
[06:38] simply type php artisan
[06:45] Great job,
[06:49] This next step is optional, but
[06:54] testing so I can see what our API looks
[07:01] Let's edit the welcome view located
[07:06] or download the project files and
[07:13] First, change the titles on line 7 and
[07:18] a Laravel REST API Next,
[07:28] Replace the # sign with the URL for
[07:33] this project on GitHub Next,
[07:41] The author's link uses the built in
[07:47] Cool.
[07:49] Next, we're going to add
[07:54] The books link also uses the built in
[08:00] Finally, let's add a Chrome
[08:06] The handy Chrome extension named
[08:10] in a more human readable format.
[08:14] Let's take a look at
[08:19] Nice job, we have a landing page,
[08:23] showing off our application with a README,
[08:28] book routes, and a link to the JSON
[08:34] We're off to a great start.
[08:36] We've installed Laravel using Composer,
[08:42] file, and tested our database
[08:47] php artisan migrate.
[08:51] We even updated the welcome view
[08:55] In the next section, we're going to
[09:00] use artisan to create our projects
[09:05] See you there.