REST: what's the name for the HTTP verb and endpoint?

Question

Given this:

GET /users

/users is called endpoint in REST terminology.

How do you call the whole GET /users (verb + endpoint) instead? I hope there is one word for it.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You probably won't like this answer, but here it is anyway: REST does not use the terminology "endpoint" at all. You can check Fielding's thesis yourself: http://www.ics.uci.edu/~fielding/pubs/dissertation/top.htm - open the PDF and search for "endpoint".

Fumanchu's answer is probably the closest you get: "/Users" is a relative path and can be used as the Request-URI in the Request-Line as per the 2616 HTTP spec.

In a web API documentation I would probably call "/Users" an "Endpoint" reference as you do, and "GET /Users" would be an "Operation". Maybe you can get some inspiration here: https://nhs.3scale.net/docs

Answer 2

The API Bluprint Language Specification refers to the HTTP method, when applied to a resource, as a resource action. This name seems to be consistent with the terminology in section 5.2.1.2 Representations, of Fielding's dissertation.

Answer 3

RFC 2616 (the HTTP spec) calls the first line of a request the "Request-Line". It consists of the method, Request-URI, and version. See http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2616#section-5.1 for complete details.

Answer 4

We call it 'resource operation'

Basically, you are mapping your operations like

• Create a new user
• Get User info
• Update User info
• Remove user

to "HTTP verb + Resource"

• POST /user/
• GET /user/
• PUT /user/
• DELETE /user/