A web service is an internet software component that facilitates data transfers over a network. Because a web service exposes an application’s data and functionality to other applications, in effect, every web service is an API. As a
rule of thumb, don’t assume that the client, and server applications
connect directly to each other.
API management has become prevalent as businesses increasingly depend on them, adopt more of them and deal with the administrative complexities that they introduce. Organizations have different management needs, but they typically encompass basic functions, including security, governance, analytics and version control. Many software products and tools deliver functionality via APIs, from DevOps tools such as Docker, Jenkins and GitLab to enterprise platforms such as Microsoft SharePoint. Social media, in particular, takes advantage of open APIs to facilitate third-party functionality, such as the ability to create news feeds and share photos.
Operating systems
REST APIs often require headers and parameters to be passed in the API call as well. The trend to think of APIs as representing general resources has changed. Many applications and users do make use of APIs as a general tool, but they are also considered services and will normally require more controlled development and deployment. Exploitation of misconfigured APIs is a common practice for cyber attackers. APIs are a gateway that present an organization’s systems and data to internal and external users. They standardize how developers write application code, improving an organization’s internal software development processes.
The term API stands for application programming interface, a concept that applies everywhere from command-line tools to enterprise code, microservices, and cloud-native architectures. An API is an interface that software developers use to programmatically interact with software components or resources outside of their own code. An even simpler definition is that an API is the part of a software component that is accessible to other components. An API, which stands for application programming interface, is a set of protocols that enable different software components to communicate and transfer data. Developers use APIs to bridge the gaps between small, discrete chunks of code in order to create applications that are powerful, resilient, secure, and able to meet user needs.
Creating more scalable systems
For example, a REST API would use a GET request to retrieve a record. A well-designed REST API is similar to a website running in a web browser with built-in HTTP functionality. REST APIs usually send static resources, but in certain cases, responses
can also contain executable code (such as Java applets). When possible, resources should be cacheable on the client or server side.
APIs allow for the sharing of only the information necessary, keeping other internal system details hidden, which helps with system security. Servers or devices do not have to fully expose data—APIs enable the sharing of small packets of data, relevant to the specific request. Use hashing algorithms for password security and HTTPS for secure data transmission. An authorization framework like OAuth 2.0 can help limit the privileges of third-party applications.
Other common questions about APIs
An API gateway is software that takes user requests, processes them, routes them to the appropriate backend services, and delivers the relevant data back to the user in a simplified package. You can think of them like a front desk receptionist who communicates with customers and helps coordinate the appropriate actions behind the scenes. Connect applications, data, business processes and services, whether they are hosted on-premises, in a private cloud or within a public cloud environment.
Web APIs typically use HTTP for request messages and provide a definition of the structure of response messages. These response messages usually take the form of an XML or JSON file. Both XML and JSON are preferred formats because they present data in a way that’s easy for other apps to manipulate. APIs are essential to good software design, and they assume a range of incarnations in the different layers of our software.
Innovating with APIs
For example, the weather bureau’s software system contains daily weather data. The weather app on your phone “talks” to this system via APIs and shows you daily weather updates on your phone. Open APIs are open-source application programming interfaces you can access with the HTTP protocol. Also known as public APIs, they have defined API endpoints and request and response formats. APIs are implemented by function calls composed of verbs and nouns; the required syntax is described in the documentation of the application being called.
Using well-designed APIs lets us compose our software of logically distinct components. These components can be maintained in relative isolation, and the functionality behind them can be reused between different applications. It is sometimes said that a good component is a “black box,” meaning that the component does its work without revealing how the work is done. The black box represents the ideal of the separation of concerns; it stands in contrast to the white box, where clients have to know what is happening inside the component to use it. In a white box scenario, both knowledge and complexity spread, or leak. As software developers, we try to make them as dark gray as possible.
For example, a smart fridge can connect to recipe applications or take and send notes to mobile phones through text message. Internal cameras connect to various applications so that users can see the contents of the refrigerator from anywhere. It’s useful to think about API communication in terms of a request and response between a client and server. The application submitting the request is the client, and the server provides the response.
- Operating systems and middleware tools expose their features through collections of APIs usually called toolkits.
- Unless you write every line of code from scratch, you will interact with external software components, and each of these will have its own API.
- It is sometimes said that a good component is a “black box,” meaning that the component does its work without revealing how the work is done.
It is not intended to be used directly by a person (the end user) other than a computer programmer who is incorporating it into the software. An API is often made up of different parts which act as tools or services that are available to the programmer. A program or a programmer that uses one of these parts is said to call that portion of the API. The calls that understanding api for beginners make up the API are also known as subroutines, methods, requests, or endpoints. An API specification defines these calls, meaning that it explains how to use or implement them. Learn how application programming interfaces, or APIs, simplify software development and innovation by enabling applications to exchange data and functionality easily and securely.
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