An overview of the WordPress REST API

1. What’s a REST API and
why should I care?
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

2. WordPress Developer from
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

3. What does REST mean?
“REpresentational State Transfer”
Ok, what does THAT mean?
Practically speaking, it’s a standard way for two computers to talk
to each other. Basically, a language.
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

4. What does API mean?
“Application Programming Interface”
Ok, what does THAT mean?
Practically speaking, it’s the gadget on your web site that speaks
the language that REST uses.
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

5. What does it look like?
WP Campus
https://2016.wpcampus.org/wp-json/wp/v2/schedule
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

6. What can be done with it?
The same thing as any other web site.
● View content
● Update content
● Delete content
● Post new content
It’s just done with code instead of the WordPress UI.
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

7. Ok, one more time, why do I care?
Scenario: Car dealership site full of cars
We can make:
● An employee mobile app where they can see the latest about
every car, and make updates from the lot.
● A customer mobile app where people can shop for cars
● Car data easily available to other sites like autotrader.com and
EVERY OTHER car site.
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

8. Scenario: A web site that collects registration info for an event
We can make:
● An app in any other language, on any other platform, that can
import that data, process it, and update its status on the web
● Do you have a weird old CRM built in Access?
● Do you use Salesforce?
● Mailchimp?
● ANYTHING that also has an API?
Communication between your site and other APIs can be
automated.
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

9. Plugin specific APIs
Many plugins have their own REST API.
● WooCommerce
● Easy Digital Downloads
Others extend the WordPress REST API
● SearchWP
These enable mobile apps, status reporting kiosk screens, or any
kind of data access
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

10. Why do you care?
Because the WordPress REST API immediately turns your web site
into an application that can serve data to any kind of application or
language.
Your data is instantly free of any constraints.
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
@topher1kenobe

11. THANKS FOR
LISTENING
What’s a REST API and why should I care?
Topher DeRosia
http://topher1kenobe.com
http://heropress.com
Follow me @topher1kenobe
@topher1kenobe