REST — Representational State Transfer

Definition: An architectural style for designing networked applications using stateless, client-server communication.

Example

In engineering planning, you'll often hear something like: "Let's pull the latest REST numbers before we make a call" — shorthand for representational state transfer.

When you'll hear it

REST shows up most often in engineering planning, architecture reviews, and sprint retrospectives. When someone uses it, they're usually referring to representational state transfer — and they expect the room to already know what that means.

FAQs

What does REST stand for?

REST stands for Representational State Transfer.

What does REST mean in technology and engineering?

An architectural style for designing networked applications using stateless, client-server communication.

Where will I hear REST used at work?

REST comes up most often in engineering planning, architecture reviews, and sprint retrospectives. It's used as shorthand for representational state transfer, so people assume you already know the term.