Explain the differences between the REST architectural style and a specific REST API built on it.

The REST (Representational State Transfer) architectural style is a set of principles and constraints for building distributed systems, especially web services. It defines how clients and servers should interact using standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.), resource addressing via URIs, statelessness on the server, caching, and a uniform interface.

A specific REST API is an implementation of these principles in the form of a particular web service with defined resources, routes, data formats (e.g., JSON), and business logic. It adheres to the REST architectural style but includes details specific to the task and application.

Example: REST is like a set of traffic rules, and a REST API is like a specific road with markings, signs, and traffic moving on it.