Before we discuss REST, we should understand the importance of web services in the modern application development world.

A typical modern application uses web services to obtain and query data. Any company that develop any product or solution uses web services to deliver and track information. This is because it can be difficult to replicate all the data and every behavior you need for every client who uses your application. Web services are also useful for providing access to third-party clients and services. Consider, for example, the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) of Google Maps or Instagram: these platforms expose information through HTTP to share it with other companies and services.

The REST approach to web service architecture became increasingly popular because it is straightforward and clear. Unlike some old methods, such as the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) or the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), REST services provide a clean way of querying data. Different information can be obtained using different URIs without the need for adding any overhead to requests. 

Today, more than ever, our services need to be prepared to scale so that they can be adapted to consumers. In a world of different technologies and distributed teams around the globe, we should be able to transform our architecture to solve complex business challenges. HTTP and REST help us address these challenges.