What is OData theoretically?

What is OData and how it works?

Similar to ODBC and JDBC, OData gives you a single way of accessing various data sources. Consumers of OData master one API and use it to consume multiple data sources. As a producer, OData relieves you from spending your resources to defining and maintaining data access and discovery API.

What is meant by OData?

OData (Open Data Protocol) is an ISO/IEC approved, OASIS standard that defines a set of best practices for building and consuming REST APIs.

What is meant by OData services?

In computing, Open Data Protocol (OData) is an open protocol that allows the creation and consumption of queryable and interoperable REST APIs in a simple and standard way. Microsoft initiated OData in 2007. Versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 are released under the Microsoft Open Specification Promise.

What is the difference between API and OData?

The AtomPub protocol is one of the best examples of REST API design. So, in a sense you are right - the OData is just another REST API and each OData implementation is a REST-ful web service. The difference is that OData is a specific protocol; REST is architecture style and design pattern.