I'm confused about your Python example and how REST can't achieve that.<p><pre><code>  bash$ curl http://my-fake-service.com/people/1.json
  {name: "John Doe", address: "123 Fake St"}
</code></pre>
I think opposite you, however. My feeling is that REST will probably meet your needs, and if for some reason you're required to use XML-RPC, then use that. It all depends on your starting point and biases.