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@@ -19,12 +19,13 @@ REST architecture
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-----------------
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REST is a *client-server* architecture. The client and the server
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-both have a different set of concerns. The client cares about how
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-it will display information to the user. The server cares about
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-how to store that information and how to make it available to
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-users efficiently. This separation of concerns allows both the
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-client and the server to evolve independently as it only requires
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-that the interface stays the same.
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+both have a different set of concerns. The server stores and/or
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+manipulates information and makes it available to the user in
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+an efficient manner. The client takes that information and
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+displays it to the user and/or use it to perform subsequent
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+requests for information. This separation of concerns allows both
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+the client and the server to evolve independently as it only
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+requires that the interface stays the same.
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REST is *stateless*. That means the communication between the
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client and the server always contains all the information needed
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@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ Resources and resource identifiers
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----------------------------------
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A resource is an abstract concept. In a REST system, any information
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-that can be named can be a resource. This includes documents, images,
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+that can be named may be a resource. This includes documents, images,
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a collection of resources and any other information. Any information
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that can be the target of an hypertext link can be a resource.
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@@ -87,15 +88,16 @@ Resource representations
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The representation of a resource is a sequence of bytes associated
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with metadata.
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-The metadata comes as a list of key-value pairs, where the name is
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+The metadata comes as a list of key-value pairs, where the name
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corresponds to a standard that defines the value's structure and
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-semantics. In HTTP the metadata comes in the form of HTTP headers
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-which are well defined by the HTTP standard. Metadata includes
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-representation metadata, resource metadata and control data.
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-
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-The representation metadata gives additional information about
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-the representation, such as its media type, the last date of
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-modification, or even an Etag.
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+semantics. With HTTP, the metadata comes in the form of request
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+or response headers. The headers' structure and semantics are well
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+defined in the HTTP standard. Metadata includes representation
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+metadata, resource metadata and control data.
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+
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+The representation metadata gives information about the
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+representation, such as its media type, the date of last
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+modification, or even a checksum.
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Resource metadata could be link to related resources or
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information about additional representations of the resource.
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Loïc Hoguin