Give it a ReST

What is ReST

  • REpresentational State Transfer
  • Uniform interface
  • Stateless
  • Cacheable
  • Client-Server
  • Layered System
  • Code on Demand (optional)

Getting Started

  • WPPusher (optional)
  • WP API Plugin
  • Authentication plugin (oAuth, Basic, Cookie)
  • If Basic, install Application Passwords Plugin
  • SearchWP API Route plugin (optional)

What can it to

  • Pull from WordPress, into

    • WP Sites
    • Native mobile app
    • Non-WordPress sites
    • Digital Signage
    • Wherever, anything that can take Structured data can use the API

  • Push to WordPress

    • requires authorization
    • Allows management of WordPress data from external sources

Why use the ReST API?

  • You request what you want; and it comes in it’s own bucket
  • Don’t have to build the HTML you are receiving it from; but on the end it’s being consumed.

Hurdles

  • Very little included in core, need a few additional plugins
  • Meta data is protected; need to authenticate to get it
  • Authenticating is challenging
  • Custom endpoints for custom content

How Vassar Home-Brewed a Headless CMS