Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2.2
BigQuery web interface
HTTP API
Whether they realize it or not, users interact with BigQuery by sending
HTTP requests—the same type of HTTP requests they use when browsing
the web or filling out a web form. The BigQuery developer documentation
describes the particular format of these requests and where they need to
be sent. There are client-side tools that make it easier to interact with the
service, but if you're happier using the raw HTTP operations, that is an
available option. BigQuery's API follows a REST model, meaning that the
interface is designed for humans to understand, not just computers. REST
means a lot more, too, but we'll get into that in Chapter 5, “Talking to the
BigQuery API.”
The nice thing about using standard HTTP is that it is, well, a standard. If
your company has firewalls that limit the kinds of network traffic that can
be sent, HTTP will pass right through. The response codes that are sent are
standard, the headers are standard, and various operations have a standard
interpretation. This should make it easier to learn the API and develop an
intuition about how it should work. It also makes it easier to debug when
