RESTful controller with web.py

restful_app.py

import web
import json
from restful_controller import RESTfulController

urls = (
    r'/resources(?:/(?P<resource_id>[0-9]+))?',
    'ResourceController',
)


class ResourceController(RESTfulController):

    def list(self):
        return "list resources", format

    def get(self, resource_id):
        return "retrieved resource", resource_id

    def create(self):
        resource = json.loads(web.data())
        return "created resource", resource

    def update(self, resource_id):
        resource = json.loads(web.data())
        return "updated resource", resource_id, resource

    def delete(self, resource_id):
        return "deleted resource", resource_id

app = web.application(urls, globals())

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run()

restful_controller.py

import web


class RESTfulController:

    methods = ("list", "get", "create", "update", "delete",
               "update_collection", "delete_collection")

    def __getattr__(self, name):
        if name in self.methods and "headers" in web.ctx:
            raise web.badrequest()
        else:
            raise AttributeError

    def GET(self, resource_id=None):
        if resource_id is None:
            return self.list()
        else:
            return self.get(resource_id)

    def POST(self, resource_id=None):
        if resource_id is None:
            return self.create()
        else:
            raise web.badrequest()

    def PUT(self, resource_id=None):
        if resource_id is None:
            return self.update_collection()
        else:
            return self.update(resource_id)

    def DELETE(self, resource_id=None):
        if resource_id is None:
            return self.delete_collection()
        else:
            return self.delete(resource_id)

To create new resource

curl -X POST  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"title":"a title","description":"a description","type":"a type","author":"an author"}' -i http://localhost:8080/resources/

To update resource by id

curl -X PUT  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"id":"23", "title":"a title","description":"a description","type":"a type","author":"an author"}' -i http://localhost:8080/resources/23

To delete resource by id

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8080/resources/23

A modified version of this code is used in this sample app https://github.com/w0rm/todo