Who can explain what the rest api is for?

Question

Java

Hello guys, I'm making an android application, there is a news feed, like in VK, I wanted to ask what should be used so that people can share information in real time with a friend for a long time, that is, 1 person added news, another through I updated it for a second and also saw the record, they said I need rest, but I don’t understand the essence, if it’s not hard, Guide me in the right direction, thanks in advance!

Answer 1

REST is the principle of building an application when any object can be "reached out" using an http request.
For example, http://somedomain.com/api/users/123/notes/234a note with id=234 of a user whose id=123 will always be available at the address, for example, in the form of a json object:

{
  "authorId": 123,
  "content": "Текст заметки под номером 234"
}

Moreover, this object can be changed or deleted at the same address by making an http request using other methods (PUT/PATCH and DELETE, respectively).
The REST API is a set of goodies (each back-end language has its own) that make building a REST architecture convenient and easy.
If you don’t want to plunge headlong into the world of the backend, I recommend firebase from Google.
You can hook up a real-time database, authentication, file storage, and much more in two steps (including REST, if you ever want to look into it).

Answer 2

You need a back-end developer who will make the "website", and rest is the most convenient way for your application and site to interact.