Representational state transfer (REST) and linked data are two Web architecture styles that have been increasingly adopted in recent years. In spite of these parallel developments, little research exists with regard to combining the two approaches. This is surprising, since, at least on the surface, they appear to share some common goals. This paper contributes to the synthesis of these two approaches, and points the way to further research in the area. The authors compare and contrast the purpose and features of each approach, sifting through both shared principles and potential pitfalls. They then propose four design principles to bring these styles together to support domain-driven design and development.

What is perhaps more significant than the attempt to combine these approaches is the application of these design principles to three ongoing software projects. By describing their design principles in the context of specific applications under development, the authors demonstrate the benefits of their approach. This paper should prove valuable to anyone involved in semantic Web or Web application programming interface (API) research and development.