You may have heard the term "API" quite often.
The operating system, web browser, and application updates often announce new APIs for developers. But what is an API?
API or Application Programming Interface lists a lot of operations that developers can use, along with a description of what they do. The developer does not need to know how, for example, an operating system builds and presents a "Save as" dialogue box. Just know it's available for use in their app.
APIs are application programming interfaces, these are software blocks that allow two applications to communicate with each other. Whenever you use an app like Facebook, send a direct message or check your weather on your smartphone, use an API.
An API usually consists of a set of routines, protocols, and tools used in software application building. In short, an API specifies how the software should be integrated and how that software works together. In addition, APIs are used as components of the graphical user interface (GUI). Good APIs facilitate the development of a program, offering ready-made building elements. A program then places the base blocks and feeds the APIs with data from the program. It lets the program collect the data that APIs return for further processing.
Are multiple types of API depending on the system that implements them? APIs exist for operating systems, software applications, or web applications.
- Open APIs: These types of APIs are publicly available for use as Google's OAuth APIs. It also gave no restriction to use them. So they are also known as public APIs.
- Partner APIs: Specific rights or licenses to access this type of API as they are not publicly available.
- Internal APIs: domestic or private. These APIs are developed by companies to use in their internal systems. Helps you increase the productivity of your teams.
APIs are vital for communication and you'll find them everywhere, such as Twitter API, Flickr API and Maps API. To take an easy-to-understand example of how important they are, imagine if you could not copy and paste from notepad to Google Chrome and you had to manually re-enter the text; An API makes this happen without wasting time rewriting the text.
Most operating environments offer APIs, just like most large websites today. These APIs are provided to make it easier for developers to connect their own software to the operating system or website.
APIs are used for all sorts of other reasons. For example, if you've ever seen a Google Maps object embedded on a website, that site uses the Google Maps API to embed this map. Google exposes APIs like this to web developers, who can then use APIs to build complex objects on their website itself. If such APIs do not exist, developers could create their own maps and provide their own map data only to put a small interactive map on a website.
And because it is an API, Google can control access to Google Maps on third-party websites by ensuring that it uses it in a consistent way, rather than attempting to incorporate it into a framework that displays, for example, the Google Maps site.
