What are APIs?

What are APIs?

1. is a set of tools, definitions, and protocols for building application software.

2. It lets your product or service communicate with other products and services without having to know how they’re implemented.

3. For example, imagine a book-distributing company. The book distributor could give its customers an app that lets bookstore clerks check book availability with the distributor.

   • Alternatively, the book distributor could provide an API to check stock availability. There are several benefits to this approach:
     • • Letting customers access data via an API helps them aggregate information about their inventory in a single place.
     • • The book distributor can make changes to its internal systems without impacting customers, so long as the behavior of the API doesn’t change.
     • • With a publicly available API, developers working for the book distributor, book sellers or third parties could develop an app to help customers find the books they’re looking for. This could result in higher sales or other business opportunities.

4. There are three approaches to API release policies.

   • Private
     • The API is only for use internally. This gives companies the most control over their API.
   • Partner
     • The API is shared with specific business partners. This can provide additional revenue streams without compromising quality.
   • Public
     • The API is available to everyone. This allows third parties to develop apps that interact with your API and can be a source for innovation.

5. What’s been done to improve APIs?

   • As APIs have developed into the now-ubiquitous web API, several efforts have been made to make their design a little easier and their implementation more useful.