REST Web Service Paradigm Shift

Moving your Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) from RPC style (web) services to SOAP document-oriented services, or REST resource-oriented services requires a difficult mental paradigm shift.  The same kind of shift that was required for monolothic and procedural programmers to move to object-oriented programming styles.  This change is not easy, and not all will pass muster.  Failing to make the change will mean the difference between Just a Bunch of Web Services (JABOWS) or a fully-fledged SOA.

Ensuring that this mind shift does happen will require good organisation and strong, well-articulated guidance and governance.  Until the new pattern becomes habit, people will very quickly slip into old habits. 

Below are some guidelines and implementation suggestions from this blog:

• Key REST service guidelines
• REST service naming guidelines
• REST service error handling
• Service design principles
• A plea for HATEOAS
• HTTP error code guidelines