rest - How to design RESTful search/filtering?

Question

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Answer 1

The best way to implement a RESTful search is to consider the search itself to be a resource. Then you can use the POST verb because you are creating a search. You do not have to literally create something in a database in order to use a POST.

For example:

Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/json
POST http://example.com/people/searches
{
  "terms": {
    "ssn": "123456789"
  },
  "order": { ... },
  ...
}

You are creating a search from the user's standpoint. The implementation details of this are irrelevant. Some RESTful APIs may not even need persistence. That is an implementation detail.