Are there any alternatives to OData?
OData is used by Netflix and in many of Microsoft's products (servers: CRM, Sharepoint, SQL Server; clients: Excel).
While OData is interesting, it has it's own set of benefits and trade-offs.
I've designed and build a custom search engine for internal use. Many developers are using the search engine for reporting and lists, replacing the reports and custom search/filter functionality in each line of business app with this search engine.
I have a decent system to allow querying/filtering in my search engine. It's all url driven so it's easy to use.
At this point, I want to add a little bit more functionality to the URL "command line". OData is a tempting choice because we use a lot of Microsoft tech already. It also has standard language for filters with Boolean logic, etc.
Are there any other legitimate standards based REST frameworks like OData that I should look at?
I'm not sure I need the full OData stack for what I'm doing. My simple query string based filtering is working very well at this point. Just want to conduct some due diligence so I can make an informed decision.
Thanks.
Edit
What I'm looking for is more of a framework for creating my search API. Lucene/Solr use a url syntax http://lucene.apache.org/solr/tutorial.html as does OData. Lucene/Solr aren't exactly what I'm looking for and are too complex for my scenario. However, they have a well defined url api.
I'm looking for any other well define url-based api examples. I want to see the "prior art" for defining a query/search syntax based on a url and query string parameters.
Answer
While some will certainly argue, rolling your own is certainly an option; provided you can release a consumable schema and syntax or API library. Given that you carefully research the current standards landscape and borrow from established (albeit unfitting) implementations, you (and supporters) could be inclined to produce a new or extended standard; perhaps one that solves an unsolved problem.
However, obligatory:
