Hypertext Application Language: Difference between revisions

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'''Hypertext Application Language''' ('''HAL''') is an [[Internet Draft]] (a "work in progress") standard convention for defining [[hypermedia]] such as links to external [[web resource|resources]] within [[JSON]] or [[XML]] code (however, please note that the latest version of HAL Internet-Draft expired on November 12, 2016.). The standard was initially proposed on June 2012 specifically for use with JSON<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Mike |title=JSON Hypertext Application Language |url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-kelly-json-hal-00 |publisher=IETF |accessdate=16 October 2018 |date=7 June 2012}}</ref> and has since become available in two variations, JSON and XML. The two associated [[MIME]] types are media type: application/hal+xml and media type: application/hal+json.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Richardson|first1=Leonard|last2=Ruby|first2=Mike Amundsen ; foreword by Sam|title=RESTful Web APIs|date=2013|publisher=O'Reilly|___location=Sebastopol, CA|isbn=978-1-4493-5806-8|edition=First|chapter=7}}</ref>

HAL was created to be simple to use and easily applicable across different [[___domain (software engineering)|domains]] by avoiding the need to impose any requirements on how the project be structured. Maintaining this minimal impact approach, HAL has enabled developers to create general-purpose [[library (computing)|libraries]] which can be easily incorporated on any [[API]] that uses HAL.{{Citation needed|Reasonreason=RFC4627 does not mention HAL|date=October 2018}}

APIs that adopt HAL simplify the use of [[open-source software|open source]] libraries and make it possible to interact with the [[application programming interface|API]] using JSON or XML. The alternative would be having to develop a [[proprietary format]] which in turn forces developers to learn how to use yet another foreign format.<ref name="stateless">{{cite web|last1=Kelly|first1=Mike|title=HAL - Hypertext Application Language A lean hypermedia type|url=http://stateless.co/hal_specification.html|accessdate=23 July 2014|date=2011-06-13}}</ref>