[Flow] Implementing an REST-Interface with Flow 2.0

[Christian Müller]

Jacob Floyd wrote:
> A lot of people think using an API that spits out JSON and uses HTTP
> verbs is RESTful, but that's only two elements of a RESTful api. You
> could call it REST-like, but not RESTful. To be RESTful, it also needs
> to be a self-documenting API with links from resource to resource (ie it
> needs to use HATEOAS).

True and good point.
>
> Could we clarify this difference in the tutorial (RESTful vs REST-like)?
> One of the goals of Flow is to help all of us become better programmers.
> And this is an area where there's a lot of confusion (heck. It took me
> hours of studying before I began to understand the difference, and the
> importance of HATEOAS).
Yes, makes sense.

>
> So, maybe we need a tutorial for building merely REST-like tutorials
> (that use JSON and HTTP verbs), and at the end, some kind of "Next
> steps" section that says that to make the API truly RESTful you need to
> make it use HATEOAS, and then link to another tutorial that expands on
> the first tutorial and goes into all the nitty gritty of what HATEOAS
> is, and where to find out about the available specs, and (most
> importantly), how to implement HATEOAS in an API built in Flow.

I also would like to see two separate tutorials for this as well. Most 
people probably only need/want the REST-like approach in their project 
so a tutorial that just covers that would be good. And then explaining 
what is missing for a complete RESTful API is a second step.

Cheers,
Christian