Administrator Guide

REST API | 127

REST API

Representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) is an

integrated part of the Dell Networking Operating System (OS). The supported

platforms in 9.5(0.1) release are S4810, S4820T, S5000, S6000, Z9000 and Z9500

platforms.

HTTP and HTTPS

Use REST API to configure and monitor a Dell Networking switch over hyper text

transfer protocol (HTTP) and hyper text transfer protocol secure (HTTPS).

HTTP and HTTPS are the common protocols that support read, create, update, and

delete operations with the actions using methods such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH,

and DELETE. For more details, refer to RFC 2616, Hypertext Transfer Protocol -

HTTP/1.1.

XML

Extensible markup language (XML) is a standardized, easy-to-read and easy-to-parse

method to represent data. The XML protocol data unit (PDU) is used to exchange

data between the Dell Networking switch and HTTP/HTTPS client. XML-based

implementation used is based on RFC 4741, NETCONF Configuration Protocol, and

RFC 6020, YANG - a Data Modeling Language for NETCONF standards. The

system handles up to four simultaneous REST API requests.

Developers can use REST API on switches without having to code individual CLI

commands and open telnet/SSH/Console connections for each command.

In addition to REST API, you can use the third-party management tools and other

industry-standard management protocols to manage Dell Networking switches.