Restful Objects

The standard defines a small set of JSON representations covering the generic constructs in a domain object model including the following:

• A list of links to domain objects
• A single domain object
• A property, collection, belonging to a domain object
• An action that may be invoked on a domain object
• An action result (which will typically include a domain object or list)
• A domain service (essentially a stateless domain object)
• A small number of very specific representations such as Home, Version, and User.

Restful Objects also defines a standard set of resources for accessing or manipulating these representations. The specification defines which HTTP methods may be used with each resource, and their meaning. The table below shows a partial summary:

HTTP method	Object	Property	Collection	Action[clarify]	Action Invoke[clarify]
GET	Object summary, member summary, property values	Property, details and value	Collection details and content	Action prompt	Invoke (if query only)
PUT	Update or clear multiple property values	Update or clear value	Add object (if set semantics)	— – 405 error	Invoke (if idempotent)
DELETE	Delete object	Clear value	Remove object	— – 405 error	— – 405 error
POST	— – 405 error	— – 405 error	Add object (if list semantics)	— – 405 error	Invoke (any)

Taken together the resources and representations allow the complete functionality of a domain object model to be accessed over HTTP. The following diagram, taken from the specification, illustrates the relationship between the most commonly used resources and representations:

The Restful Objects specification version 1.0.0 was released in June 2012.