Explain the difference between the HTTP protocol and the REST architectural style.

HTTP is a data transfer protocol on the internet that defines rules for message exchange between a client and a server. It describes methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.), headers, response codes, and message structure.

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for building distributed systems that uses HTTP as the transport protocol. REST defines a set of principles and constraints, such as:

• Using standard HTTP methods for resource operations.
• Identifying resources via URI.
• Statelessness on the server.
• Using resource representations (e.g., JSON, XML).

Thus, HTTP is a protocol, and REST is a way of organizing interactions using this protocol. RESTful API is an API built on REST principles over HTTP.