If you are a software developer and have been for a while you probably hear about APIs on the regular. But to others, API can sound like some random abbreviation. In reality, API stands for Application Programming Interface, it is a set of definitions and protocols that is used in application software development, and is involved in building and integrating different parts of the software. To explain it very simply, it’s a tool used to connect programs, servers or platforms, make requests and communicate data between them. If you were a customer at a restaurant, the API would be the waiter between your order and the kitchen, getting requests and transmitting the requests and the food between you and the kitchen chef. About three decades ago, APIs were developed initially to transmit information and data between local programs and environments. Within those past three decades, APIs have exponentially developed and were able to leave the local isolated environments and be turned into tools used worldwide to communicate between huge servers and programs, and essentially become one of the key elements of the online world.
About three decades ago, APIs were developed initially to transmit information and data between local programs and environments. Within those past three decades, APIs have exponentially developed and were able to leave the local isolated environments and be turned into tools used worldwide to communicate between huge servers and programs, and essentially become one of the key elements of the online world.
Modern APIs APIs have changed drastically, they’ve become more standardized and the modern API has a lot to offer. Considering APIs are included in the group of software which has turned into a product, the modern API has its own software development lifecycle (SDLC) of designing, testing, building, managing, and versioning. Integration of already-existing features We can start off with the opinion that modern APIs sometimes are considered more as a product by developers rather than a specific piece of code because of how APIs simplify the way developers integrate new application components into an existing architecture. If a developer wants to integrate the weather to an app that they’re designing, they don’t need to create code or put up equipment that measures the temperature in each city, worldwide, but they can access the servers of other weather apps like The Weather Channel, Accuweather and so on. Same goes with all types of features that are harder to develop and if not provided through APIs, they would be impossible or extremely costly to incorporate.
