What is the main task of the REST protocol in web service architecture?

The main task of the REST (Representational State Transfer) protocol in web service architecture is to provide a standardized and simple way for interaction between the client and the server via HTTP. REST uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) to perform operations on resources identified by URIs. This allows for the creation of scalable, easily maintainable, and cacheable web services with a clear separation between the client and the server.