API(Application Programming Interface)

API stands for "Application Programming Interface". It is a set of protocols, routines, and tools for building software applications that specify how software components should interact with each other.

In simpler terms, an API is a way for different software applications to communicate with each other. An application that sends a request (usually the client) does so through the API to another application (usually the server), and the other application returns a response. APIs are commonly used to share data between different applications, interact with web services, share functions and capabilities within a program, and more.

APIs can be used for various types of applications such as web applications, desktop applications, mobile applications, web services, database systems, and more.

pic source: https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/engineering/what-is-api-definition-types-specifications-documentation/

pic source: https://blog.axway.com/learning-center/apis/basics/what-is-an-api

RESTful, or Representational State Transfer, is an architectural style for building web services. It is a way of designing APIs that are easy to use, flexible, and scalable.

RESTful APIs are designed to be stateless, meaning that each request from a client contains all the information necessary to complete the request, and the server does not keep any information about the client's state. Instead, the server simply returns the requested data or performs the requested action based on the client's request.

RESTful APIs use HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) to represent the different operations that can be performed on the resources exposed by the API. Resources are identified by URIs, and the API uses hypermedia links to enable clients to navigate between resources.

RESTful APIs are easy to use, as they follow a standardized set of rules and conventions. They are also highly scalable and flexible, as they can be used across a wide range of platforms, devices, and programming languages.

Pic Source: https://velog.io/@cloud_oort/REST-API

REST API, or Representational State Transfer API, is an API that adheres to the REST architectural style. It is a web-based API that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE data to and from a server.

RESTful APIs use HTTP methods to perform operations on resources identified by URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers). For example, a RESTful API for a blog might have URIs such as /posts, /comments, /users, etc. Each URI represents a resource, and the HTTP methods allow clients to interact with those resources.

The key features of a RESTful API are:

1. Client-server architecture: The client and server are separate from each other, which allows for a more flexible and scalable system.

2. Stateless: Each request from the client to the server contains all the information necessary to complete the request, and the server does not keep any information about the client's state.

3. Cacheable: The server must indicate to the client whether a response can be cached or not, to improve performance.

4. Layered system: The API can be layered, which allows for intermediaries such as load balancers, caches, and gateways to be inserted between the client and server.

5. Uniform interface: The API uses a uniform interface that allows for resources to be identified by URIs, and for clients to use standard HTTP methods to perform operations on those resources.

RESTful APIs are widely used for building web services because they are easy to use, scalable, and can be consumed by a wide range of clients, including web browsers, mobile devices, and other applications.

Finally:

1. API: An API is a set of rules and tools for building software applications that specify how different components should interact with each other. It's a way for different applications to communicate with each other and share data or functions.

2. RESTful: RESTful is a way of designing web services that are easy to use, scalable, and flexible. It uses standardized rules and conventions to enable clients to interact with resources using HTTP methods, and is designed to be stateless and cacheable.

3. REST API: A REST API is a web-based API that adheres to the REST architectural style. It uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE data to and from a server, and is designed to be client-server, stateless, cacheable, layered, and have a uniform interface. It's widely used for building web services that can be consumed by a wide range of clients.

Now, to install Django Rest Framework, you can follow these steps:

1. Install Django Rest Framework using pip:

    pip install djangorestframework
   

   1. Add 'rest_framework' to your INSTALLED_APPS in the settings.py file of your Django project:

       INSTALLED_APPS = [    ...    
                           'rest_framework',    
                       ...]
      

      Now you can start building your API using Django Rest Framework. You can create serializers, views, and URLs to define your API endpoints.