What is API: Definition, Operating Principles, Use in Business
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 8:00 am
What is API in simple terms?
API is an abbreviation formed from the English phrase “application south korea phone number library programming interface”, which translated into Russian means “application programming interface” or, to be more precise, “application programming interface”.
Essentially, an API (pronounced "ay-pee-ay" rather than "api") is a protocol for exchanging requests and responses to embed functionality from one application into another, as well as into a website or operating system.
In the context of API, an application is any program that performs applied tasks, be it a video playback service, a messenger, or a CRM system. The interface refers to the external side of the program, access to which allows you to use its functions without delving into the internal workings of the system.
Thus, users do not need to be programmers to use a smartphone or work in a task manager, and developers, in order to set up data transfer via API, simply take the necessary command from the program instructions and paste it into the site - without studying the source code or writing their own.
In this sense, the API works just like a set of elements on a computer screen, where by pressing a button we start the execution of a complex function, only in the case of the API, the button is a short request text.
How do APIs work ?
The API works based on interaction between the client and the server.
The program that sends a request to the API to perform an operation acts as a client. The API forwards the request to the server program that performs the operation and returns with the result to the client. If the call was incorrect, the API will send a response about the error in performing the operation.
If you imagine the work of the API as a conversation, it might look like this:
Server: "We are a service for sending messages on the site"
Client: "Oh, great, I'm the site, I want to place an order."
API: "Here is the menu, what exactly would you like to order?"
Client: "Please give me one chat to communicate with clients."
API: "Service, please make one chat"
Server: "No problem, here it is, take it."
API: "Client, the order is ready, adding chat to your functions"
For any API, there is detailed documentation from the program creators. This set of rules describes which functions are available and what needs to be done to connect them. The API can be free and publicly available, like the Mail.ru web portal, or provided when purchasing access to services, as in the case of speech recognition technology from Yandex.
Once access is obtained, the API provider code must be embedded into the web page code or the client program build system. After this, the client program functions will be supplemented with the server program functions.
Why do you need an API?
APIs not only empower users, but also benefit developers and businesses.
Programmers use APIs to:
Speed up new product development by embedding ready-made tools - no need to write code from scratch for the entire set of functions.
Reduce the cost of software solutions, because even a paid API is often cheaper than creating an application from scratch.
Simplify the connection of the created program to other systems, for example, payment or navigation systems.
Make the product safer by moving the parts that need protection into a separate application.
Businesses use APIs to:
API is an abbreviation formed from the English phrase “application south korea phone number library programming interface”, which translated into Russian means “application programming interface” or, to be more precise, “application programming interface”.
Essentially, an API (pronounced "ay-pee-ay" rather than "api") is a protocol for exchanging requests and responses to embed functionality from one application into another, as well as into a website or operating system.
In the context of API, an application is any program that performs applied tasks, be it a video playback service, a messenger, or a CRM system. The interface refers to the external side of the program, access to which allows you to use its functions without delving into the internal workings of the system.
Thus, users do not need to be programmers to use a smartphone or work in a task manager, and developers, in order to set up data transfer via API, simply take the necessary command from the program instructions and paste it into the site - without studying the source code or writing their own.
In this sense, the API works just like a set of elements on a computer screen, where by pressing a button we start the execution of a complex function, only in the case of the API, the button is a short request text.
How do APIs work ?
The API works based on interaction between the client and the server.
The program that sends a request to the API to perform an operation acts as a client. The API forwards the request to the server program that performs the operation and returns with the result to the client. If the call was incorrect, the API will send a response about the error in performing the operation.
If you imagine the work of the API as a conversation, it might look like this:
Server: "We are a service for sending messages on the site"
Client: "Oh, great, I'm the site, I want to place an order."
API: "Here is the menu, what exactly would you like to order?"
Client: "Please give me one chat to communicate with clients."
API: "Service, please make one chat"
Server: "No problem, here it is, take it."
API: "Client, the order is ready, adding chat to your functions"
For any API, there is detailed documentation from the program creators. This set of rules describes which functions are available and what needs to be done to connect them. The API can be free and publicly available, like the Mail.ru web portal, or provided when purchasing access to services, as in the case of speech recognition technology from Yandex.
Once access is obtained, the API provider code must be embedded into the web page code or the client program build system. After this, the client program functions will be supplemented with the server program functions.
Why do you need an API?
APIs not only empower users, but also benefit developers and businesses.
Programmers use APIs to:
Speed up new product development by embedding ready-made tools - no need to write code from scratch for the entire set of functions.
Reduce the cost of software solutions, because even a paid API is often cheaper than creating an application from scratch.
Simplify the connection of the created program to other systems, for example, payment or navigation systems.
Make the product safer by moving the parts that need protection into a separate application.
Businesses use APIs to: