AJAX-Tips
REST or Representational State Transfer is a type of web service geared towards efficient call of data from server and other sources. It is a highly powerful coding technique that could be used in different protocols for web service. However, REST has been used mainly in HTTP protocols because of its efficiency in that type of data transfer.
REST uses the URL to call data from other sources and even from the server. REST treats other sources as data sources and transforms them into a highly efficient machine wherein data could flow continuously. When REST makes its call, the data is extracted and transformed into XML so that it could be used for different purposes.
REST effectively uses namespaces to transform data and streams them to the client side. Other web services also use namespace to effectively transmit data from other sources to the client side but REST has a totally different behavior when dealing with namespaces.
It uses URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) so that it could extract information effectively. This complements REST’s functionality on calling URL (Uniform Resource Locator). By combining both functions, developers are able to build a highly efficient application wherein data could be loaded continuously.
When REST is applied to Ajax, developers could easily stream information without any problem. Its ability to locate data effectively from different sources could be used in building an Ajax based application. The developer could combine the transformed data (XML) with JavaScript and build an effective Ajax based application.
This type of web service is also used for fetching information for graphic intensive applications. Streaming information and even pictures from different sources is possible with the help of REST. It could even weave together different webpages so that it could develop an Ajax based application. Developers could eventually build a machine as a backdrop of an Ajax based application.
1. Security – like with most Ajax based application, the security of an Ajax based application is always questioned. The problem is even highlighted in REST since it can connect to multiple sources. If the developer is unscrupulous with the data sources, the developer might end up extracting data from an unsecured source. There is also a chance for attackers to locate the sources and inject codes that could hack the entire application.
2. Namespaces – the advantage of namespaces in REST is also its disadvantage. Since it primarily uses URI before URL, it cannot easily locate the information requested from the application. The namespaces in REST always presuppose that there is a data with the same name. If it does not have the expected filename, it will resort to URL to look for data. It could take some time before data could be finally transmitted or it needs a powerful server to push the data transmission faster.
If you are considering in building an Ajax based application by using different sources online, use REST for data extraction. As long as the developer is aware of the sources as efficient use of namespaces, the Ajax application should execute smoothly.
