# Suggested Reading

The following resources provide additional information on the tools and technologies used in the API and in the [Cookbook](/clarity-lims/api-and-database/api-docs/cookbook.md) examples.

### REST

The Clarity LIMS Rapid Scripting API uses a RESTful web service with XML over HTTP. For more information about REST, see the following:

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational\_State Transfer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_State_Transfer)
* <http://www.xfront.com/REST-Web-Services.html>

### Linux and Common File Formats

Many of the scripts used in the Cookbook examples assume a knowledge of Linux and text file formats.

Review bash shell execution command syntax and file formats such as comma-separated values (CSV) and Extensible Markup Language (XML):

* <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma-separated_values>
* <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML>

### Groovy

For its clarity and readability, we have used Groovy for the Cookbook examples. The [Apache Groovy](http://groovy-lang.org/) website provides useful resources for learning and working with Groovy:

* <http://groovy-lang.org/learn.html>
* <http://groovy-lang.org/documentation.html>

### Additional Resources

* [Useful Tools](/clarity-lims/api-and-database/api-docs/application-examples/resources-and-references/useful-tools.md)
* [Integrating Scripts](/clarity-lims/api-and-database/api-docs/getting-started-with-api/integrating-scripts.md)


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