What is an API (Application Programming Interface)? In this blog post we’re going to explain what an API is and why they matter to you.
What does API (Application Programming Interface) mean?
If we analyze the words that make up this phrase, we can guess that it is some type of interface for programmers to access applications. And we would be right. API is about the communication that allows our devices to operate.
But what does that really mean to ordinary people?
Think of the analogy of a restaurant. You don’t walk into the kitchen to get food, instead you place an order with a waiter. The waiter then takes the order to the kitchen, the kitchen staff cook the order, notify the waiter, and they deliver it to your table.
The waiter is an interface between you and the kitchen, a kind of middleman. They understand what you are saying, and they relay it in a useful way to the kitchen. The kitchen then notifies the waiter when the result is ready, and the waiter delivers it back to you.
Where do APIs Exist?
APIs exist between apps, between apps and storage, and between apps and input devices.
This means that there are APIs that allow your Mail app to receive your email from your provider, like Google. Other APIs allow your weather app to get data from the National Weather Service.
Payment systems also require APIs that allow the credit card information entered by the customer to access the bank to authorize the payment.
Nearly every activity you accomplish on your phone, table or computer requires a complex set of application programming interfaces to work. It defines all of the communication between apps and devices.
In conclusion
Understanding API (Application Programming Interface) helps us to understand how our devices work. While users do not interact directly with APIs, it is useful to know that they exist. When your apps aren’t working, it is often a mismatch in the communication, a problem with an API. This is why updating apps can often fix strange occurrences.
When the operating system of your device updates, it often requires updates to the apps you use on that device. Updating all of the APIs among other things.
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