What is meant by the term "connectedness" in RESTful architecture?

The term "connectedness" in RESTful architecture refers to the concept that a server can guide clients in changing the application state. In this context, "connectedness" emphasizes the role of hypermedia as a constraint within the REST architectural style. RESTful services utilize hyperlinks to enable clients to navigate between resources dynamically. The client interacts with the server using these links to understand what actions are possible next, effectively navigating through the application state without needing prior knowledge of the system's full structure.

This means that the state transitions and operations available to a client are determined by the server through the use of hypermedia. Clients are guided by the responses they receive, which include links to other resources or actions they can take next. This approach fosters a more discoverable API and enhances the decoupling of client and server components.

By contrast, constant server-client communication, client-side state management, and restrictions on client-initiated changes do not effectively capture the essence of connectedness as defined in RESTful architecture. Instead, the focus of connectedness is to enhance interaction through guided navigation and resource representations.