Question 1

What's the difference between REST and SOAP?

Accepted Answer

REST is an architectural style that typically uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT/PATCH, DELETE) and often exchanges JSON. SOAP is a strict protocol that usually uses XML, has formal contracts (WSDL), and can include additional standards for security and messaging. REST is often simpler for web and mobile apps, while SOAP is more common in some legacy enterprise integrations.

Question 2

When should I use REST APIs?

Accepted Answer

Use REST when you need a simple, widely supported way to expose data or actions over HTTP—especially for web and mobile apps, microservices, and public APIs. REST works well when your system can model things as resources (users, orders, photos) and you want caching, stateless requests, and easy integration with standard HTTP tooling.

Question 3

How much does REST cost?

Accepted Answer

REST itself is free—it’s a design approach. Costs come from running the API (compute/serverless), an API gateway or load balancer, data transfer, logging/monitoring, and any backend databases. Pricing depends on request volume, payload sizes, authentication needs, and whether you use managed services (for example, API gateways) versus self-hosting.

REST

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