REST/HTTP connectivity

REST over HTTP is a data distribution method offered by CONSTI to make its crypto price feeds available to customers. 

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and is a communication protocol between the user's application (client) and a CONSTI server hosting the API. It facilitates the exchange of requests and responses, defining how information is transmitted between the two entities.

HTTP provides various request methods, such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, allowing users to specify the nature of their interaction with the API. The most common method for market data retrieval is GET, used to retrieve information from the server.

Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) are used by HTTP to identify resources on the server. In the context of a cryptocurrency API, URIs represent specific endpoints that users can query to retrieve different types of market data, such as prices, historical data, or account information. Users include headers in their HTTP requests to provide additional information or parameters. In market data APIs, headers may include authentication details, content types, or any specific requirements outlined by the API provider. HTTP allows users to append query parameters to the URI to customize their requests. For market data APIs, users can specify parameters like time intervals, symbols, or other criteria to filter the requested data.

HTTP response codes indicate the outcome of a request, communicating whether it was successful, encountered an error, or requires further action. Common status codes include 200 (OK), 404 (Not Found), and 500 (Internal Server Error).

The actual market data is typically transmitted in the response body using formats such as JSON or XML. HTTP ensures that the data is packaged appropriately for efficient transmission and easy parsing on the client side. HTTP is stateless, meaning each request from the client to the server is independent. For market data APIs, this implies that each request must contain all the information necessary for the server to understand and fulfill it, ensuring efficiency and simplicity in the communication process.

In summary, HTTP is the underlying protocol that enables the seamless and standardized exchange of market data between users and cryptocurrency data providers, defining the rules for making requests, handling responses, and ensuring the secure and reliable transmission of financial information.

HTTP is a popular distribution method when it comes to crypto price feeds which are not real-time, for example Crypto OHLC Data or Crypto Historical Data. For accessing real-time data, the suggested distribution methods are WebSocket and message queuing. However, you can also use the REST/HTTP endpoint periodically to query for on-demand real-time price data.