In REST, the concept of Hypermedia allows direct interaction with resources, unlike the action-oriented approach of CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete). Hypermedia in RESTful APIs enables clients to navigate the application state dynamically, improving flexibility and reducing the coupling between the client and server.

The use of parameterized statements is recommended over dynamic SQL to prevent SQL Injection attacks.

AWS S3 (Simple Storage Service) is commonly used for object storage, providing scalable and durable storage for files and data.

AWS CloudFormation is primarily used for provisioning and managing resources in AWS, allowing infrastructure to be defined as code.

Jenkins is a widely used tool for continuous integration and continuous delivery in the context of web services.

The primary difference between HTTP and HTTPS is that HTTPS encrypts data during transmission. It uses protocols like SSL/TLS to secure the communication channel, providing a secure and private connection between the client and the server.

Postman is a commonly used tool for unit testing of RESTful web services, allowing developers to send HTTP requests and inspect responses.

API Gateways route client requests to the relevant microservices, ensuring proper distribution and processing.

SOAP relies on the XML Schema Definition (XSD) standard for handling complex data types. XSD provides a way to define the structure and data types used in XML documents. This is crucial in SOAP services, where data exchange between applications needs a standardized and well-defined format, ensuring consistency and compatibility.

The OPTIONS method in REST returns the HTTP methods that the server supports for the specified URL. It is useful for discovering the allowed operations on a resource. Clients can use this information to determine the available interactions with the server, enhancing the flexibility and adaptability of the API.