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I read the article fully. If an API response included all the possible actions and information that one takes as a follow up to a previous call, how is that any different from providing the equivalent forms and links to additional information on a web page rendered by a browser? It certainly seems possible to pigeonhole an API into a RESTful architecture but I understand why based on the article, APIs aren't often co…
You're missing the point. If you provide an API like in the example you give, put it out on the net at some domain, then in order for it to be REST, I MYST be able to access that domain, without any prior knowledge whatsoever, and make a request. When I do that in the case you provide, I would not know anything about how to use those resources. Without any prior knowledge, I don't know what "users" are, or what a "li…
The idea of REST has evolved beyond the initial definition to include a broader and far more impactful meaning. The abstraction of UI over data. The important piece is the data.
I could make an entire website, entry point and all that only returned json and included the links for actions users could take and other pages they could visit. Whether I use a browser to see that or my terminal with a cURL makes no difference.