Embarcadero MVP Jens Fudge has written Getting Started with XData: A Step-by-Step Guide, a practical introduction to building REST APIs in Delphi with TMS XData.

One application, from first endpoint to finished client

The book is built around a single project. You begin with a Hello World service to get a first XData server running. From there you grow it into a small archery system, adding one concept per chapter.

By the last chapter you have a REST API that stores its data in a database, and a Delphi VCL client that calls it. You have written both the server and the client, so you know how the two sides of a TMS XData application fit together.

What you will learn

1. Your first XData REST API
2. Services and endpoints
3. Delphi objects and JSON
4. Database access with FireDAC
5. CRUD operations
6. Authentication and authorisation
7. A VCL client for your API
8. Object ownership and memory management
9. Connection pooling

Small examples, explained step by step

Jens keeps the examples small on purpose. Production-level complexity stays out of the early chapters, so each chapter shows one thing TMS XData does, and why it works that way, before the next piece is added.

Once the basics are in place, the book moves on to the topics a real service needs: securing your endpoints, managing object lifetimes, and pooling database connections.