What is the main purpose of RESTful API in web service development?

The main purpose of a RESTful API is to provide a standardized way for interaction between the client and the server via the HTTP protocol. RESTful API allows clients to perform operations with resources (such as user data, products) using standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).

This simplifies the development and integration of web services, making them more scalable and easier to maintain. RESTful API typically returns data in JSON or XML format, which is convenient for processing on the client side.