is google maps API based on REST?

Question

I still don't know if google maps API uses the SOAP protocol or if it's a RESTful service. I've read its documentation but it doesn't say anything about that.

Answer 1

I know this is an old question but I wanted to try to give an answer anyway, because I do not agree with the logic in @Brick's answer (supports JSON and XML, therefore is RESTful).

There are quite a few different Google Maps APIs, so it is hard to answer your question without you specifying which one you mean. However, for an API to be RESTful, it has to comply with the following five or six constraints:

• Client-Server
• Stateless
• Cacheable
• Layered system
• Code on demand (optional)
• Uniform interface

So an API supporting JSON and XML might, or might not be, RESTful, depending if it complies with the constraints above.