Calling into Force.com Using REST
Force.com provides a REST form of its core data access API to query and modify standard and custom objects. It also allows Apex developers to turn custom classes into REST Web services. This section provides an introduction to using REST to call into Force.com in three parts:
Getting started with Force.com REST API—Learn how Force.com functionality is exposed in the REST style and how to authenticate to it.
Force.com REST API walk-through—Using your computer’s command line, you can take an interactive tour of the Force.com REST API.
Creating custom Apex REST Web services—With a few simple modifications, an Apex class can be serving REST-style requests from the Web.
Note
Because REST requests and responses are typically so concise, you can practice using them directly from your computer’s command line using standard OS-level tools to make Web requests. The examples in this section rely on the tool named cURL, available free for every platform at http://curl.haxx.se.