Difference Between REST API and Normal API

#node #laravel #express #php

🚀 1. 🔥 What is a Normal API?

API (Application Programming Interface) is a generic term for any set of functions or methods that allow applications to communicate with each other.
It can be:
- Local or remote.
- Can use any protocol (HTTP, TCP, UDP, etc.).
Not restricted to web-based communication.
Examples:
- Library API: Python’s math.sqrt() function.
- Database API: MySQL Connector for interacting with a database.
- System API: Linux system calls like read() or write().
- Hardware API: DirectX for rendering graphics.

🔥 2. ⚙️ What is a REST API?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a specific type of web API.
It follows the RESTful architecture and uses HTTP methods to interact with resources.
REST APIs:
- Use stateless communication (each request is independent).
- Use standard HTTP methods:
  - GET → Retrieve data.
  - POST → Create new data.
  - PUT/PATCH → Update existing data.
  - DELETE → Remove data.
- Use JSON or XML for data exchange.
Examples:
- GitHub REST API: To access GitHub data over HTTP.
- OpenWeather API: For weather data retrieval.
- Stripe API: For payment processing.

⚙️ 3. Key Differences:

Feature	Normal API	REST API
Scope	Generic term for all APIs	Specific type of web API
Protocol	Uses any protocol (TCP, UDP, etc.)	Uses HTTP/HTTPS only
State management	Can be stateful or stateless	Stateless by design
Data format	Any format (binary, JSON, XML)	Mostly JSON or XML
Methods	Varies (no fixed methods)	Uses standard HTTP methods
Communication	Local or remote	Web-based (remote) communication
Example	File System API, Database API	GitHub, Stripe, AWS S3 REST API

✅ 🔥 Final Takeaway:

Normal API: A broad term covering all APIs (local, web, database, etc.).
REST API: A specific type of web API that uses HTTP and follows RESTful principles.
All REST APIs are APIs, but not all APIs are RESTful. 🚀

ACI.dev: Best Open-Source Composio Alternative (AI Agent Tooling)

100% open-source tool-use platform (backend, dev portal, integration library, SDK/MCP) that connects your AI agents to 600+ tools with multi-tenant auth, granular permissions, and access through direct function calling or a unified MCP server.

Star our GitHub!

Top comments (0)

🐯 🚀 Timescale is now TigerData: Building the Modern PostgreSQL for the Analytical and Agentic Era

We’ve quietly evolved from a time-series database into the modern PostgreSQL for today’s and tomorrow’s computing, built for performance, scale, and the agentic future.

So we’re changing our name: from Timescale to TigerData. Not to change who we are, but to reflect who we’ve become. TigerData is bold, fast, and built to power the next era of software.