How Do I Use RESTful Services

 Introduction

RESTful Services have become a crucial part of modern application development, enabling seamless communication between different systems over the web. In Oracle APEX, RESTful Services allow you to create, consume, and manage APIs that interact with your database and external applications. Whether you want to expose data securely, integrate with third-party services, or build mobile-friendly applications, understanding how to use RESTful Services in APEX is essential. This blog will introduce you to the basics of RESTful Services and how to implement them effectively within your Oracle APEX environment.

Oracle APEX’s SQL Developer Web includes built-in RESTful Services capabilities that allow you to create APIs to interact with your database data easily. This enables you to expose data and business logic securely over the web using standard HTTP methods.

To create a REST API:

1. Open SQL Developer Web and click on RESTful Services from the menu.

2. Choose Create Module to start a new REST module and define a base endpoint URL that groups related resources.

3. Add Resource Handlers for HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to define how your API will respond to different requests.

4. For each handler, configure the SQL query or PL/SQL procedure that processes the request. For example, you might use a SELECT query for GET requests or an INSERT statement for POST requests.

5. Click Save and then Deploy to activate the REST API, making it available for clients to consume.

Example: Exposing employee data via a REST API

• Create a GET handler with this SQL query:

  SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEES WHERE EMP_ID = :EMP_ID;
  

• You can then call this API with a URL like:

  https://yourdatabase.oraclecloud.com/ords/hr/employees?EMP_ID=10
  

This request returns the employee record with EMP_ID 10 in JSON format.

Using RESTful Services in Oracle APEX allows you to build modern, web-accessible APIs that enable integration with external systems, mobile applications, and other cloud services, all while leveraging your existing database objects and logic.

Conclusion
Using RESTful Services in Oracle APEX opens up powerful possibilities for integrating your applications with external systems and delivering data in a flexible, scalable way. By leveraging REST APIs, you can build more dynamic, connected applications that meet modern user expectations. As you become familiar with creating and consuming RESTful Services, you will enhance your ability to develop innovative solutions that are both efficient and easy to maintain.