REST architectural elements

As discussed earlier, REST is not a protocol, and it can be discussed without implementation. The key element of REST is the ability to add constraints to components, connectors, and data.

Data elements

When you select a hyperlink where data needs to be transferred from the server to the client, the client needs to interpret the data and render it into a format to the user. How does the REST principle do this? The REST components transfer the data as well as the metadata to the client, with instructions to help the client compose the resource that it has requested:

Data element	Modern web examples
Resource	The intended conceptual target of a hypertext reference
Resource identifier...