API stands for application programming interface. APIs are the little pieces of code that make it possible for digital devices, software applications, and data servers to talk with each other, and they?re the essential backbone of so many services we now rely on.
Let’s break down what an API is before we explore what they are capable of, learning a bit more about how we interface with them to programmatically apply digital resources and capabilities.
- (A)pplication - You are “applying” something digital, often on a desktop, web, or mobile device, by connecting it to the Internet. Applications bring the web into our homes, workplaces, cars, and the public sphere.
- (P)rogramming - Programming means allowing for something to be programmed, executed, and automated, making something that is repeatable and easy to use in software; allowing our physical and online world to be automated to do the things we can’t or don’t want to do.
- (I)nterface - An interface is the point where two entities meet and interact, enabling communication between two systems.You apply digital resources, capabilities, and networking through servers to link to common, everyday objects, allowing the world around us to interact with us. Application Programming Interfaces–APIs–are how you standardize, automate, and apply the digital resources and capabilities defining how the digital world works in the 21st century. Des this update?