RESTful Services

Integration

Definition

RESTful Services are web services based on the Representational State Transfer (REST) architectural style, utilizing standard HTTP methods to interact with resources.

Detailed Description

RESTful Services, or REST APIs, are a scalable and stateless approach to building web services that allow different systems to communicate over the internet. They follow the principles of REST architecture, which leverages HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations. RESTful services enable easy and efficient interaction between SAP systems and other web-based services, facilitating seamless data exchange.

Key Features

Resource-based URL structure
Scalability and simplicity
Stateless architecture
Support for multiple HTTP methods
Use of standard HTTP status codes

Common Modules

SAP Gateway

SAP Gateway provides tools to expose SAP functionality as RESTful services, enabling SAP data and processes to be accessed externally.

Examples

Basic REST GET Request Example

A simple example of a RESTful service GET request to retrieve customer data.

GET /api/customers/12345 HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Accept: application/json

Popular Implementations

Implementation in SAP Fiori

RESTful services are often used to integrate SAP back-end data with SAP Fiori applications, providing a seamless experience across devices.

Related Terms

OData