Link headers vs link elements for RESTful JSON

Question

When building a RESTful / hypermedia API with JSON resources, it seems I have two options for specifying the hypermedia relationships between resources.

1. Embed t

Answer 1

Go with a hypermedia JSON format. While Link Headers are standard, they're poorly adopted. They're really more valid for media formats that are not hypermedia. But since you have a choice and can choose a hypermedia format (unlike, say, PNG vs JPG), you should simply choose one and move forward.

All of the JSON standard are bubbling about until one or another becomes a "de facto" standard. The more they're used, the more "de facto" they get.

Seems to me that HAL is on a solid Standards track, and I would pick that.

But either way, go with a hypermedia format because you can.