REST-Friendly HTTP Protocol

1. Introduction

An elementary HTTP protocol allowing more versatility when developing Web Services clients: REST, SOAP or other.

2. Usage

It is best loaded to it's own context, no new global words are exposed:

    context load %rest.r

This installs the rest:// protocol:

    rest://rebol.org

Reading a rest:// URL returns an object:

    >> reborg: read rest://rebol.org
    >> ? reborg
    REBORG is an object of value: 
       status          integer!  200 
       headers         object!   [Date Server Last-Modified Accept-Ranges Content-E... 
       content         binary!   #{ 323030300D0A3C21444F43545950452048544D4C2050554... 
       type            path!     length: 2 
       length          integer!  0

status

HTTP Response Status Code

headers

HTTP Response Headers

content

Resource content, always binary

type	Resource content MIME type

length

Resource content length

Providing a custom block affords some control over the HTTP request:

    read/custom rest://rebol.org [
        action: 'get
    ]

    read/custom rest://myblog/posts/new [
        action: 'post
        content: {This is text}
        type: 'text/plain
    ]

    read/custom rest://myblog/images/new [
        action: 'put
        content: #{... some image binary ...}
        type: 'image/png
        headers: [auth: #MYPASS]
        version: 1.1
    ]

action

HTTP Verb

content

Request content, string or binary

type	Request content MIME type

headers

Request HTTP headers, as required

version

HTTP version (default 1.1)

3. Future

• Finer tuned request dialect options, following common REST patterns
• Better developed response object, including:
  • Detection and conversion of response text types
  • Status words in addition to codes (e.g. 'ok 'not-found 'server-error)