(This is part of a series on how I used WordPress to create a functional app prototype in a 54 hour startup weekend. There are references in this article to code samples and concepts mentioned in previous articles so take a look at those if something here doesn’t make sense)

If you’re not familiar with the WordPress REST API and how it plays into the modern web development ecosystem, it’s kind of like the cinnamon you put on eggnog; You can definitely have eggnog without it, but you’re doing it wrong and limiting the grand flavor of a delicious drink.

The WP REST API is the new hotness of WordPress because it lets you separate your site’s data layer from the interface.

This is incredibly important for WordPress because it means that the content of 25% of the internet can now be accessed through almost any device and translated into almost any medium. NPR’s “Create Once, Publish Everywhere” concept is in full force.

It’s an incredibly fun tool from a development view and something that I’ve wanted to dive into for a while. I launched the Represent Me site in WordPress to gain more experience with the REST API but it turned out to be the essential decision for us to create and launch our prototype.