# RESTful thinking considered harmful

DevFeed: [RESTful thinking considered harmful](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/restful-thinking-considered-harmful-1271.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://shopify.engineering/17488860-restful-thinking-considered-harmful>)

Author: Willem van Bergen

Published: 2012-03-30T13:12:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Shopify Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/shopify-engineering.md>), [Shopify Engineering - Shopify Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/shopify-engineering-shopify-engineering.md>)

Topics: [web applications](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/web-applications.md>)

Tags: [database](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/database.md>), [http](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/http.md>), [update](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/update.md>), [web-applications](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/web-applications.md>)

## AI overview

The article critiques the close association of RESTful design with CRUD in Rails, focusing on update semantics and the distinction between HTTP PUT and PATCH.

## Source excerpt

It has been interesting and at times amusing to watch the last couple of intense debates in the Rails community. Of particular interest to me are the two topics that relate to RESTful design that ended up on the Rails blog itself: using the PATCH HTTP method for updates and protecting attribute mass-assignment in the controller vs. in the model. REST and CRUD These discussions are interesting because they are both about the update part of the CRUD model.