This document discusses the WP REST API and related terms. It begins with introductions and defines key terms like API, JSON, and SPA. It then provides a brief history of WP APIs and discusses RESTful principles and how the WP REST API works based on HTTP verbs. Examples of RESTful APIs are provided. Calypso, the frontend for WordPress.com, is discussed as it utilizes the WP REST API to manage sites via JavaScript. In the end, a demo is provided and questions are invited.

1. WP REST API
intro / terms / logic / useage
tomhermans.com

2. Hi, I’m Tom
You might know me of …
Sony
Telenet
freelance WP development
get in touch : tomhermans.com

3. Question Time

4. term : API : Application Program Interface
agreed set of standardized ways
that a particular piece of software can be used;
the rules defined for its interaction with the wider world,
which govern how other pieces of software can talk to a
program
and how it will respond.

5. term : JSON: JavaScript Object Notation
a way to store information in an organized, easy-to-access manner.
In a nutshell, it gives us a human-readable collection of data that we can access in
a really logical manner.
var jason = {
"age" : "24",
"gender" : "male"
};

6. term : SPA : Single Page Application
is a web application or web site that fits on a single web page with the goal of
providing a more fluent user experience
The page does not reload at any point in the process.

7. WP REST API : A bit of history

8. WP API’s
XML-RPC & friends (atom..)
XML remote procedure call
mobile app
admin-ajax
lightweight routing layer
responds w/ JSON
more dev tool - see previous presentation
RSS
open standard syndication format

9. RESTful API’s
Twitter
Facebook
WordPress.com
Stripe
.. many more

12. What is REST ?
REST = representational state transfer
RESTful systems :
● communicate via HTTP
● same HTTP verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.)
like web browsers use
● to retrieve web pages and to send data to remote servers.

13. REST Examples
Pretty much everyone who claims to have a REST API, in fact, does not.
Exception:
WWW - the World Wide Web
https://www.ics.uci.edu/~fielding/pubs/dissertation/rest_arch_style.htm

14. How is WWW restful ?
Does your browser (the client)
know whether it’s displaying a banking website or a casual game?
Nope.
It just utilizes standard media types (HTML, CSS, JS .. )
The web doesn’t know whether it is serving you a website for a bank or a game.

15. How does a HTTP request look like ?

16. so, REST uses HTTP to CRUD
HTTP to CREATE data : POST
HTTP to READ data : GET
HTTP to UPDATE data : PUT (with an existing URI)
HTTP to DELETE data : DELETE

17. Example sites
https://feelingrestful.com/
http://quotesondesign.com/
http://www.michaelbromley.co.uk/
http://qz.com

18. Calypso / WordPress.com

19. What is Calypso
Calypso = frontend admin for WP, written in JS with REST API
to be used to read/write for WP.com and jetpack sites
1. better user experience
- faster & being able to manage multiple sites
2. better dev experience
- better tooling + how they deal with JS

20. Calypso how
How does Calypso work ?
> in a nutshell:
Connects to WP.com via node.js,
loads rest of JS, loaded async
controllers render React components

21. Why is Calypso interesting ?
interesting if you want to build a SPA based on WP REST API
Do You:
1. have a lot of user interaction ?
2. need quick transitions between interactions ?
3. have multiple front ends ? web/mobile/desktop, powered by same data
different mindset, user controls page content with interactions

22. DEMO time

23. So ...
this is a start, obviously
Different paradigm,
different mindset,
different useage,
different tooling

24. Can I already use it ?
Yes, but ..
think about
SEO,
server-side rendering,
JS dependencies, etc ..

25. Question Time
More questions ?
@tomhermans
tomhermans.com/contact