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Building Hypermedia APIs with HTML5 and Node
With this concise book, you’ll learn the art of building hypermedia APIs that don’t simply run on the Web, but that actually exist in the Web. You’ll start with the general principles and technologies behind this architectural approach, and then dive hands-on into three fully-functional API examples.
Too many APIs rely on concepts rooted in desktop and local area network patterns that don’t scale well—costly solutions that are difficult to maintain over time. This book shows system architects and web developers how to design and implement human- and machine-readable web services that remain stable and flexible as they scale.
Learn the H-Factors for representing application metadata across all media types and formats
Understand the four basic design elements for authoring hypermedia types
Convert a simple read-only XML-based media type into a successful API design
Examine the challenges and advantages of designing a hypermedia type with JSON
Use HTML5’s rich set of hypermedia controls in the API design process
Learn the details of documenting, publishing, and registering media type designs and link-relation types
Too many APIs rely on concepts rooted in desktop and local area network patterns that don’t scale well—costly solutions that are difficult to maintain over time. This book shows system architects and web developers how to design and implement human- and machine-readable web services that remain stable and flexible as they scale.
Learn the H-Factors for representing application metadata across all media types and formats
Understand the four basic design elements for authoring hypermedia types
Convert a simple read-only XML-based media type into a successful API design
Examine the challenges and advantages of designing a hypermedia type with JSON
Use HTML5’s rich set of hypermedia controls in the API design process
Learn the details of documenting, publishing, and registering media type designs and link-relation types
244 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 20, 2012
If you're building a hypermedia API, this book is a must read. I think that the title is wrong, it should really be something like "Musings on Media Types" but then it wouldn't really get read by people...
Node and HTML5 are incidental. They were chosen because every web developer should know Javascript, and so it should make them applicable no matter what primary language you develop in.
I disagree with other reviewers that the code samples should be removed; one of the primary things people complain about when reviewing material on this topic is that it's too much theory and not enough code. The code is naive, but that's because many readers will also be naive about Javascript. I know that I appreciated its simplicity and straightforwardness.
Node and HTML5 are incidental. They were chosen because every web developer should know Javascript, and so it should make them applicable no matter what primary language you develop in.
I disagree with other reviewers that the code samples should be removed; one of the primary things people complain about when reviewing material on this topic is that it's too much theory and not enough code. The code is naive, but that's because many readers will also be naive about Javascript. I know that I appreciated its simplicity and straightforwardness.
April 1, 2012
Mike Amundsen is a well-known expert in the field of distributed technology. In this writing he explains the importance of hypermedia for designing a web API and gives a few examples of hypermedia designs.
The title of this book implies a focus on HTML5 and Node.js. HTML5 examples are not specific to the fifth version of HTML though and the Node.js JavaScript code is naive at best. The author argues that the code quality should not distract the reader from the subject of hypermedia design, but in that case I'd rather leave specific technologies out of the title and spare the mundane code listings. Brief excerpts of a few HTTP requests and corresponding responses would be just enough and would make the book one-third its size.
The textual explanation of the three example hypermedia designs is quite repetitious and leaves an impression of a duplicated content. Even if the book was intended to be a reference guide, I'd appreciate Martin Fowler's duplex book format then. It's a shame that the author and the editorial team failed to produce a quality book from the expertise the author clearly has.
Overall, I like this book for the good ideas it contains, but I wouldn't recommend it.
The title of this book implies a focus on HTML5 and Node.js. HTML5 examples are not specific to the fifth version of HTML though and the Node.js JavaScript code is naive at best. The author argues that the code quality should not distract the reader from the subject of hypermedia design, but in that case I'd rather leave specific technologies out of the title and spare the mundane code listings. Brief excerpts of a few HTTP requests and corresponding responses would be just enough and would make the book one-third its size.
The textual explanation of the three example hypermedia designs is quite repetitious and leaves an impression of a duplicated content. Even if the book was intended to be a reference guide, I'd appreciate Martin Fowler's duplex book format then. It's a shame that the author and the editorial team failed to produce a quality book from the expertise the author clearly has.
Overall, I like this book for the good ideas it contains, but I wouldn't recommend it.
October 9, 2012
Well, Sergey sums it up pretty well.
There're some really interesting aspects in this book about media type design. The design of collection+json for me really sparked my imagination about what's possible in hypermedia design. I also liked the definition of the H- factors and the chapter about the media type documentation.
Unfortunately the book is cluttered with probably already outdated Node.js demo code. I think the book would have been way better if he had just restricted himself to the HTTP requests and responses. The Node.js listings were completely irrelevant for me.
There're some really interesting aspects in this book about media type design. The design of collection+json for me really sparked my imagination about what's possible in hypermedia design. I also liked the definition of the H- factors and the chapter about the media type documentation.
Unfortunately the book is cluttered with probably already outdated Node.js demo code. I think the book would have been way better if he had just restricted himself to the HTTP requests and responses. The Node.js listings were completely irrelevant for me.
August 28, 2014
I primi capitoli sono estremamente teorici, molto difficili da leggere e non molto approfonditi.
Purtroppo danno le basi per le spiegazioni nei capitoli successivi, che contengono molti esempi esplicativi, ma faticano a spiegare come tali esempi si relazionino con la teoria.
I capitoli finali, infine, spiegano come scrivere la documentazione, ma in modo un po' troppo fumoso. Fortunatamente le appendici contengono esempi anche di questo.
Forse rileggendolo più volte o cercando documentazione correlata (ci sono molte pagine di riferimenti esterni in appendice) il tutto diventare più chiaro, ma allora ha poco senso farci un libro.
Purtroppo danno le basi per le spiegazioni nei capitoli successivi, che contengono molti esempi esplicativi, ma faticano a spiegare come tali esempi si relazionino con la teoria.
I capitoli finali, infine, spiegano come scrivere la documentazione, ma in modo un po' troppo fumoso. Fortunatamente le appendici contengono esempi anche di questo.
Forse rileggendolo più volte o cercando documentazione correlata (ci sono molte pagine di riferimenti esterni in appendice) il tutto diventare più chiaro, ma allora ha poco senso farci un libro.
April 29, 2012
I would have liked more analysis of the server side code that realized the given resource designs. I'm still looking for that reference that shows me a real for real business app via rest API, complete with auth, validation, multiple listeners for domain events, long running transactions, and all the other "stuff" that has to happen server side when the client says "post this little form"
March 17, 2012
The author has extensively researched the issues and techniques of building a hypermedia API. A hypermedia API seems novel, yet it is the classical interface of the worldwide web. This book is mostly about Hypermedia APIs. You will not become a HTML5 or Node programmer by reading this book.
November 11, 2012
The book articulated many of the principles of Hypermedia that I've wondered about but never was able to quite put my finger on them. Mike's book helped me to organize these principles in my head and showed me how to put them into practice. Very enlightening.
July 8, 2012
REST done right
January 7, 2015
Although to some extent useful, this book ist not that good structured as the "RESTful Web APIs" - another (co-authored) book of Mike Amundsen
April 17, 2013
This is a very timely book for defining Hypermedia. I really like the examples used in the book, and the author goes into depth on each example.
May 30, 2015
Not as useful or current as I hoped, but some pieces here and there were helpful
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews