(REpresentational State Transfer) A model for web services based solely on HTTP. REST takes the view that the Web already has everything necessary for web services, without having to add extra specifications like SOAP and UDDI. Any item can be made available (ie represented) at a URI, and, subject to the necessary permissions, it can be manipulated using one of the simple operations defined within HTTP (GET to retrieve information, PUT and POST to modify it, DELETE to remove it). Restians argue that retaining this very simple semantic structure is the best way of preserving interoperability between all Web participants.