Looking into a REST-Based Universal API for Database-as-a-Service Systems

摘要

As more and more data-centric services are emerging on the Web, the diversity of acsp{API} in this field increases rapidly. In addition to the traditional relational model, the scope of ac{DaaS} products is broadened by new approaches, such as the more lenient key-value stores. Many ac{DaaS} acsp{API} address the same concepts, making them incompatible with each other, yet not fundamentally different. In this paper, we address this issue by drafting a concept for a ``universal'' acs{API} for ac{DaaS} systems based on the acs{REST} architectural style. The new acs{API} is universal in the sense that it is aimed to be suitable for ac{DaaS} systems ranging from those that allow storage of schema-less data to systems with the capabilities of a traditional relational database system. After the presentation of the concept, we critically review it, revealing general problems of such a universal acs{API}, and point out a more promising path for future work.