What is an API?

API stands for 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲.

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of functions that allows applications to access data and interact with external software components, operating systems, or microservices.

To simplify, an API delivers a user response to a system and sends the system’s response back to a user. You click "add to cart," an API tells the site you added a product to your cart; the website puts the product in your cart, and your cart is updated.

The API is not the database or even the server, it is the code that governs the access point(s) for the server.

Each time you use an app like Facebook, send an instant message or check the weather on your phone, we are using an API.

In basic terms, APIs allow applications to communicate with one another.

Let's understand this with two 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 👇

First Example 👇

When we go to the restaurant 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 and 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁?

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗣𝗜. 𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸 ( database or server ) to prepare the food => It means a 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗣𝗜.

Then the 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿. Finally, the 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 => It means the 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗣𝗜.

Second Example 👇

𝗔 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲; 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲, 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀.

But what happens between entering your information to receiving your ticket? APIs, that's what! They are collaborating behind the scenes with other applications.