API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a concept in software technology that deals with multiple applications interacting with and obtaining data from one another. In simpler words, your internet experience runs on APIs.
APIs help you compare the best prices for air tickets, allow you to embed a map into your store’s website (just like for Peshawari Chappal) and process your online credit card payments.
Type of APIs
There are multiple types of APIs, which includes:
Public APIs: companies like Shopify and Slack release these APIs for developers. These companies share a certain set of inputs that allow you to achieve the desired output.
Private APIs: Used internally at a company. When a company has multiple software products, these private APIs allow the software to interact with each other. You can change the components of a private API to suit the requirements of your company.
How does an API relate to social?
All major social media sites have APIs. While you are not allowed to use them to copy the company’s original service and sell it as your own software, you can build on them to improve the experience.
For instance, Twitter’s API allows you to access certain features of a public profile. You can design a program using an API that would help you to search for someone’s username and it will pull up the profile page. Instead of you having to visit the Twitter office every time you have a request, the API makes it easier for you to run the program and pull up the relevant profile.
Are APIs important to you?
As I said earlier, your internet experience runs on APIs. Instead of accessing five different apps or services, five separate times, you can use a single software to access all five at the same time. In other words, APIs streamline your process.
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