What are the key principles of REST?

Short answer: Statelessness → Each request is independent; the server doesn’t store client state.

Explain a bit more

Client-Server Architecture → Separation of concerns between client UI and server logic. Uniform Interface → Standard HTTP methods and URIs. Cacheable → Responses can be cached to improve performance. Layered System → APIs can use intermediaries (like load balancers, proxies). Resource-based → Everything is treated as a resource (like users, orders, products).

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Creating an order is POST /api/orders → 201 with Location header. Fetching is GET /api/orders/{id} → 200 or 404.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.