API, REST, SOAP, XML-RPC, WTF?!?!

[eluser]Phil Sturgeon[/eluser]
I have had a look at a few of these systems briefly but mainly REST. I have been converting some legacy data transfer systems to use REST at work and from what I hear from colleagues who have tried the alternatives REST is a speedy, light and flexible superior.

XML-RPC is old and much slower. XML is always going to be slower than other methods as the syntax is the largest, however there are other factors causing the speed issues.

SOAP is heavily type-based which works well when PHP is interacting with other systems that enforce types more (VB, C++, Java, etc). At work we handle lots of statistics and financial data so obviously type-based is good for much of it.

REST to me seems much more flexible. From what I understand you pass it a format type, a method suggesting what you wish to do (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and some basic prameters via URL or HTTP headers. This allows you to return data in any format you like based on the request you send so it works with almost any system you can imagine.

Seeing as my REST imlementstion IS finished, I can go ahead and plug away. Sorry Yorick. ;-P