HATEOAS (Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State) means that API responses should include links to related actions or resources. This makes APIs self-discoverable and reduces client-server coupling.

Example response with HATEOAS:

{
  "id": 123,
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "_links": {
    "self": "/users/123",
    "orders": "/users/123/orders",
    "edit": "/users/123",
    "delete": "/users/123"
  }
}

Benefits include improved API discoverability, reduced documentation needs, and easier API evolution.