COMP3227: Web Architecture and Hypertext Technologies

What the module covered

This module covered the web as a system of resources, representations, and links. Topics included HTTP, REST, content negotiation, caching, authentication, web formats, browser APIs, search, and hypertext design.

For the coursework, I built a browser-based test page using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to send requests to a supplied university API and display its responses. I then critiqued its HTTP methods, status codes, headers, representations, and resource relationships. The final part was a documented API extension design for assessments and scheduling, with example requests and responses.

What I took from it

The coursework gave me a more precise way to assess an API than simply checking whether a request returned data. Consistent resource identifiers, representation types, status codes, and links all affect how a client understands and uses a service. Designing the extension also required thinking through the relationships between resources and the permissions of different roles.