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Discussion on: APIs for dummies. Let's discuss!

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Elijah Lynn

Agreed, when I first started I was very confused by what an API actually was. I would definitely provide at least 3 different examples in addition to spelling out the acronym. At the simplest level, a function could be used as a pseudo-example of an API and build from there. At least it helped me to think of it that way. Now I see pretty much everything as an API.

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Ana Chiritescu • Edited

Thanks, Elijah! This time I will most likely not go much into detail around functions (it will be too technical for the audience). Interesting suggestion to look at a function as a pseudo-example of an API. Similarly one could see an APIs resource as a function, meaning that the API can have multiple functions.

Indeed everything is interconnected and the simplest/ideal way to do that nowadays is via an API or via an interface. There's one analogy for interfaces / APIs that I recently received as an example from a colleague that I find very easy for anyone to relate to: our own biological interfaces with the world, ie our senses.

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Ana Chiritescu

Elijah, small clarification: my above comment on API resources as functions makes sense in the context of REST APIs. The simplification you mentioned is totally legit!