DEV Community: Patrick David

“API” Meaning - Definition in Computer Programming

Patrick David — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:52:41 +0000

What does the term "API" stand for? How has it become a regular part of our vocabulary? Learn what an API stands for and what it means in this short guide.

What is an "API?"

API stands for "Application Programming Interface." An API is a set of programming instructions that allow the software to interact with other software. In other words, an API is a way for two pieces of software to communicate with each other.

APIs are often used to connect different pieces of software. For example, the Google Maps API allows developers to add Google Maps functionality to their websites and applications. The Twitter API allows developers to access Twitter data and create Twitter-based applications.

APIs are also used to allow the software to interact with hardware. For example, the Arduino API allows developers to write code that interacts with Arduino devices.

How has the abbreviation "API" become part of our regular vocabulary?###

The term "API" has become a regular part of our vocabulary because more and more software is being created that relies on APIs to function. In addition, software engineering has increased as a job function by more than 300% in the past 6-years in the United States. As the world becomes increasingly connected, APIs will only become more critical.

Dalia Yashinsky, one of the experts in linguistics and English at GrammarBrain, said, "It's becoming more common for internet abbreviations to enter our daily lives. From "OMG" to "LOL," these abbreviations have become commonly understood replacements for idioms. The abbreviation for 'API' in software engineering might not be known, but its meaning is commonly understood."

Who came up with the first "API?"

Tim Berners-Lee created the first API in the early days of the internet. Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web and creating the first API. His API allowed different pieces of software to communicate with each other over the internet.

What does a "Rest API" stand for?

A "REST API" represents a "Representational State Transfer API." A REST API is an API that uses simple HTTP requests to GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE data. REST APIs are often used to create web-based applications.

What is an "API Key?"

An API Key is a unique code used to access an API. The API provider typically assigns API Keys. For example, the Google Maps API requires an API Key to use their API.

What is an "API Endpoint?"

An API Endpoint is a URL that is used to access an API. For example, the Google Maps API has the following endpoint: https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address=1600+Amphitheatre+Parkway,+Mountain+View,+CA&key=YOUR_API_KEY

What is an "API Request?"

An API Request is a request made to an API Endpoint. When you request an API, you are typically requesting data. For example, if you request the Google Maps API for directions from San Francisco to Los Angeles, you are requesting data (the directions).

What is an "API Response?"

An API Response is the data that is returned from an API Request. In the example above, the data returned from the Google Maps API would be the directions from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Common questions
Questions about the abbreviation "API."

Is "API" an abbreviation?

Yes, "API" is an abbreviation. It stands for "Application Programming Interface."

What does "API" mean in business?

"API" stands for "Application Programming Interface." An API is a set of programming instructions that allow the software to interact with other software. In other words, an API is a way for two pieces of software to communicate with each other.

What does "API" mean in programming?

The abbreviation "API" in business and programming means the same thing. "API" stands for "Application Programming Interface." An API is a set of programming instructions that allow the software to interact with other software. In other words, an API is a way for two pieces of software to communicate with each other.

What does an "Open API" mean?

An Open API is an API that is publicly available and does not require authentication to access.

What does a "Private API" mean?

A Private API is an API that requires authentication to access.

What is an "API Management System?"

An API Management System is a software system that helps manage APIs. An API Management System typically provides authentication, rate-limiting, and analytics features.

What is an "API Gateway?"

An API Gateway is a software system that acts as a gateway for API requests. An API Gateway typically provides authentication, rate-limiting, and load-balancing features.
What is an "API Proxy?"
An API Proxy is a software system that acts as a proxy for API requests. An API Proxy typically provides features such as authentication and rate-limiting.

What is an "API Portal?"

An API Portal is a website that provides documentation and other resources for an API.

What is an "API Developer Portal?"

What does "API" mean in the pharma industry?
The "API" in the pharma industry stands for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. The API is the part of the drug that has the intended therapeutic effect. Not as frequently confused since the trend for the "API" term in programming has sustained in usage since 2004.
Syndicated from GoogleAPIs.com

Best SEO Resources for SaaS Companies

Patrick David — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 21:29:16 +0000

An on-going collection of the best resources for SaaS companies. SEO can be confusing. These resources have made it far less confusing.

Resources:
https://ahrefs.com/blog/link-building/
https://surferseo.com/blog/statistics-on-content-marketing/
https://surferseo.com/blog/why-is-content-marketing-important/
https://contentdistribution.com/seo-case-study/
https://www.before.io/

Zoom Interview Tips for 2021

Patrick David — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 21:10:24 +0000

Zoom interviews might be here to stay. Or at least any video interview or remote interview session. Getting familiar with the tips that are required to nail a remote interview is critical in ensuring that you increase your odds of getting an employment offer by the hiring manager.

Here are the ways to ensure that you have a fantastic Zoom job interview in the future.

What's a Zoom Interview?

A Zoom interview is similar to any other job interview. More similar to a face-to-face interview rather than a phone interview. A phone interview is an interview that qualifies the candidate for the position. While a Zoom interview replaces the need to have to be in the same geography in order to perform a job interview.

When being invited to a Zoom interview, consider this the formal job interview. It's often that a Zoom interview is requested when the hiring manager and interviewee cannot be in the same vicinity. Recently, Zoom interviews have gained popularity due to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

Have Talking Points Ready

Because it's a Zoom or skype interview doesn't mean anything different in terms of preparation than a traditional interview. Perform a mock interview (a practice interview) with friends or family members to better prepare answers to common job interview questions. And have "talking points" or questions to ask the interviewer prepared for the end of the call.

Be prepared to answer complicated questions like behavioral interview questions, which prompt storytelling and "on-the-job" experience from the candidate. Or questions like, "Why do you want to work here?"

Don't Use a Virtual Background

It might seem fun to use. But a virtual background where the candidate looks like they're sitting on a beach comes across as unprofessional. Use a professional background setting, like a home office.

Search for Good Lighting

A dark mysterious figure on the other end of the video call can feel scary and unprofessional. Be sure to find a place in the home, home office, or somewhere else that has good lighting. The objective is to make sure that when the live interview takes place, the candidate can be seen and the friendly expressions being made can be witnesses. It's about comfort.

Know Salary Requirements

A common interview question during the Zoom interview session is, “What are your salary expectations?” It’s best to have a prepared answer to this question. There are two methods for figuring out what your salary range should be. The first method is to take your current salary range and “give yourself a raise”. A typical raise is around 8% of your existing salary. That means you would take your current salary, add 8% and that would be the range of your salary expectations for the new job.

The second method is to use a tool like Payscale.com or Salary.com, which both will help you to see the average salary range for not only the job you’re applying for but the geography you’re applying to as well.

This can be very helpful for those who are moving to a new geography and need to think about the cost of living and average salary as part of their salary negotiation for the position.

You can use both methods in combination as well. Simply take your existing salary and be sure you do the math to figure out what your relative scale is in the new geography and then add 8% to that giving you a range.

Try not to decide on an “exact figure” as this shows you’re not willing to be flexible on a salary offer. By showing a range, it means you’re willing to consider the entire compensation package as part of your benefits and compensation.

Prepare Ice Breaker Questions

Ice breaker questions are great ways to start a conversation. It allows the interviewer and hiring manager to connect on an informal subject matter before beginning the conversation and Zoom interview. It’s important to ask relevant ice breaker questions that make the hiring manager feel comfortable.

It’s important to tell the interviewer that an ice breaker question is being asked. It’s a fun, yet small game that can be played to create a connection.

Ask one of the following ice breaker questions:

What's the first job you ever had?
What's the best job you ever had?
What do you admire in a colleague?
What do you admire in a boss?
What's the worst trait you could imagine to have in a supervisor?
What's the best trait you could imagine to have in a supervisor?
What's the longest job you've ever had?
What motivates you in the morning before you start work?
What's the most important thing for us to remember at work?
What's a funny story about one of our customers?

If interviewing for a specific position, like a data analyst, be sure to prepare ice breaker questions that are relative to the interview, company, or job title.

Have the Personal Meeting ID Handy

When joining a Zoom conference call, the callers have to enter a personal meeting ID. This should be inside the calendar invitation the hiring manager and potential employer sent. Inside the scheduled interview invitation should be detailed instructions for joining the Zoom call. Be sure to have this handy so as a job seeker, you aren't late to the call.

Let the Interviewer Interrupt You

It’s best to let a hiring manager interrupt you if they have questions during the interview question response. By letting the manager interrupt you during the response, it can provide an opportunity to answer the interview question with more clarity. This can be especially helpful when answering with too long of responses. If the interviewer decides to jump in, let them.

Write a Thank You Email

When you’re finished with the interview, in the next 24 hours after the interview is completed, write an interview thank you email that shows the interviewer you appreciated them taking the time. Include a mention of any questions you might have regarding the role or interview process. In general, use this note as an opportunity to show your interest in the position and show you have a passion for being hired.

Find the best resource for thank-you notes on Algrim.co

About the author

Patrick Algrim is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), NCDA Certified Career Counselor (CCC), and general career expert. Patrick has completed the NACE Coaching Certification Program (CCP). And has been published as a career expert on Forbes, Entrepreneur, Glassdoor, American Express, Reader's Digest, LiveCareer, Zety, Yahoo, Recruiter.com, SparkHire, SHRM.org, Process.st, FairyGodBoss, HRCI.org, St. Edwards University, NC State University, IBTimes.com, Thrive Global, TMCnet.com, Work It Daily, Workology, Career Guide, MyPerfectResume, College Career Life, The HR Digest, WorkWise, Career Cast, Elite Staffing, Women in HR, All About Careers, Upstart HR, The Ladders, and many more..

7 Best Reasons To Hire A Veteran At Your Business

Patrick David — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 20:33:02 +0000

Companies will continue to grow as they look to develop on their success. A major part of this growth are the employees working collaboratively together to reach business goals. This makes the hiring process for any business extremely important.

Most, if not all, employers want to hire people that are skilled, motivated, loyal, and trustworthy. Skills can easily be taught but the qualities of an individual are embedded and this is one of the main reasons why you should consider hiring a veteran. There are many qualities that they can bring to your business and here are some reasons why they would be considered desirable employees:

They’re committed to the task - The experience of a veteran in the military will of one where they’re taught to never give up. They need to be able to look at the overall ‘mission’ and ensure that they go through with it until the end. This attitude will assure you that they won’t give up until you know they’ve tried their very best or they’ll commit to finding an alternative solution until they reach their goal.
Solid teamwork skills - As mentioned earlier, the majority of businesses work well because of how the individuals work so well together in teams to accomplish business goals. Military personnel are familiar with the idea of cooperation and working together. It would have been embedded in them that the smallest of slips from one person can be detrimental to the full team. This makes them extremely useful in team situations.
Leadership skill pre-taught - Having an individual in your team that is able to take initiative or step up when things go wrong is every employer’s dream. It’s likely that a veteran that you hire would have been placed in a leadership role during their service. Alternatively, they may have found themselves in a situation where their partner may have suffered a military brain injury, which means it’s on them to pick up the pieces. These experiences will have provided them with an understanding of important responsibilities and taken up many leadership qualities such as delegation, motivation, behavior management, and direction.
Working well under pressure - A task in a civilian role is likely to have no comparison to the pressure that would have been applied back in the military. Conditions during their time there would have been extremely difficult, training long days and having limited resources. Because of this, they’re unlikely to crack under what others would consider extreme pressure in their job role.
Appreciate authority and structure - Serving in the military, they would have been involved in a highly disciplined environment. Timings and training would have been extremely structured and efficient which means you’ll feel a sense of trust for them to turn up on time and be extremely organized. This makes them likely to strive under a regime that has business policies and procedures.
Employment facilities for veterans - One aspect that veterans are likely to struggle with when leaving the military in the transition to a civilian job. It can be difficult considering the way of life they would have been used to for a long period of time. As an employer, you may feel pressured about the process of helping a veteran to embed into their civilian role but there are employment agencies available for veterans entering civilian roles which help them through the transition phase and help them with their bedding in process.
Skills can be learned quickly - Trainability is an essential quality that veterans need to have during the military if they wish to succeed. Although they may not be used to certain software or equipment that’s unique to specific job roles, veterans are likely to display a developed learning curve that will allow them to adopt new skills quicker than others. This will be crucial for employers who wish to employ characters that can get stuck in straight away.

Veterans that arrive from the military can be considered some of the most resourceful and skillful individuals that would be valuable to a business. They have a range of qualities that can easily fit the skill gap within your business. Next time it’s time to hire a new person for your team, be sure to consider the great qualities that a veteran could bring to it.

About the author:
Patrick Algrim is an experienced executive who has spent a number of years in Silicon Valley hiring and coaching some of the world’s most valuable technology teams. He writes more articles like this one over at Algrim.co. You can read his most popular blog posts here, here, and here.

The Absolute Worst Times To Ask For A Raise

Patrick David — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:44:45 +0000

It’s a common question, “When’s the best time to ask for a raise?” But when most employees think of this question, they are thinking, “When’s the best time for me to ask for a raise?”

Let this set in, the best time to ask for a raise is when the company is in the position for you to ask for it. Asking for a raise is something you’ll have to do in your career. But the key is knowing when to do it. And ensuring that it coincides with what’s “on the plate” for the company at that time. Here are some of the worst times to ask for a raise.

When the company is experiencing financial trouble

It might seem obvious, but for many it’s not. If you know the company is experiencing financial trouble, don’t ask for a raise. This will make you appear selfish and unfaithful to the business. Your executive leadership will communicate when the business is undergoing stress. If you don’t hear it from them, you’ll more than likely read about your sector in news publications. Wait out the storm.

When the company is in quarterly or annual planning mode

When executive team members are meeting to plan out a new year, usually at the end of the existing year, this is a terrible time to ask for a raise. It might seem apparent to do so, as they might be discussing budgets for the new year. But it is not. It adds pressure to your management and that can again, make you appear selfish.

When the company just crossed a major milestone

This is another scenario where it might feel right, but isn’t. Your team crossed a major milestone and the business is seeing the fruits of your labors. Right afterward you feel as though you should be rewarded. So you request to sit down with your manager to discuss your compensation. This is a terrible time. When you cross a major milestone, this should be a normal day. You shouldn’t feel the need to request additional compensation whenever you achieve greatness in the workplace. When your request for the raise is too close to the milestone, that’s how it will be perceived.

When you know another colleague got a raise

This feels competitive and slightly abusive toward your leadership. If you know that one of your colleagues got a raise, it doesn’t mean that you should be requesting to get one as well. Your colleague could have been with the company for a longer period of time. Or that professional and their manager could have come to an agreement about additional responsibilities he or she is taking on. Even if you don’t bring up this “insider” information that you have during the request to sit down with your supervisor or manager, they will know it coincides too closely to your colleague receiving a raise and you not having good enough reasoning for requesting one.

About the author:
Patrick Algrim is an experienced executive who has spent a number of years in Silicon Valley hiring and coaching some of the world’s most valuable technology teams. He writes more articles like this one over at https://www.algrim.co. His most popular posts are his https://www.algrim.co/264-thank-you-email-after-interview and https://www.algrim.co/1642-interview-questions-and-answers.

Why Cover Letter Templates Can Help Job Seekers

Patrick David — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 21:28:50 +0000

A cover letter is a type of business letter that professionals send along with their job applications. Cover letters are statements which employers can read which give them insight into why you feel you are the best fit for the open position, as well as give you an opportunity to present yourself.

Are Cover Letters Necessary?

Attaching cover letters to job applications isn't always necessary. Especially if the employer isn't asking for one. In the job description or job application portal, there should be a mention of the assets which are required to submit your application. This would normally consist of a resume, cover letter, reference letters, letters of recommendation, and more.

Learn more about the debate over the necessity of cover letters. Read more

How to Make a Great Cover Letter

If you can, customize your letter to the requirements, skills, and mentions in the job description or job posting. This will be the best way to try to "read through the lines" in terms of what the employer values or feels are imperative to the job function. From there, customize your personal fit for the job.

Additionally, use the templates below to give you an idea of what a great cover letter consists of. It usually contains simple bullet points that support your previous work performance.

Why Job Description Templates Are Important

Patrick David — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 21:27:26 +0000

A job description is a professional brief that states the duties, requirements and desired skills of candidates who are applying to job openings that are posted online. Job descriptions provide applicants a way to understand whether or not they are a fit for the position and provide them the opportunity not to apply to positions they don't feel comfortable with.

Why Is Salary Important?

Listing the compensation expectations on a job posting may help to target the right types of professionals you're looking for. And can help you save time by not interviewing candidates who might be too senior. Ideally, you want to find the candidate that has the skill level you require and is comfortable in the compensation range you are expecting. Having an average salary range as part of our job description samples should help your planning process.

Can It Save Time?

Having job description templates can save HR teams significant amounts of time. From having all the data in one place to ensuring that online job postings are uniform and efficient.

Interview Candidates Against CSS Knowledge

Patrick David — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 15:24:00 +0000

Knowing CSS is a critical part of landing any front-end engineering position. Below is my CSS interview question and answer guide. The difficult part about CSS is that while yes, there is a way to ensure you can show an interviewer that you have great experience with CSS. There may still some questions which are a bit more specific to the person asking you the question. CSS does have personal styles to it. Meaning, the way its used is quite flexible at times and because of that, some developers use the various methods of CSS differently. You can’t really prepare for that in your interview though, its just important to recognize that being the case that you can explain to an interviewer that there’s a few different ways that something might be achieved and that you are willing to explain the ways of which the question might be achieved.

1. What is the primary job of CSS?

The primary job of CSS is to provide the HTML elements with their appropriate styles, imagery and overall User Experience. The function of CSS is to make all websites look as the designer intended. Meaning, a custom experience so that all visitors understand they are on a differently branded website. Nearly all websites you visit have CSS controlling their display.

2. How do you include CSS on a website?

You include CSS on a website by using the script tag. The script tag has an href associated to it which is where you link to the CSS file. The type of asset is called a text/css file.

3. What is inline CSS?

Inline CSS is when you are defining a style on an HTML element directly. Meaning, if I have an HTML object, I am putting a style=“” tag within its object brackets and defining my CSS styles within that style tag directly.

Web Services Questions To Ask In An Interview

Patrick David — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 13:40:41 +0000

We all know how important web services are. Without them facilitating machine to machine communication, there’d be no way for computers to give us wonders like websites and Fortnite. So if you’re planning on getting a new job in the industry, we’ll help you get prepared with web services interview questions. And to make sure you do your best and get the job, we’re also adding REST, RESTful, and SOAP interview questions. Put yourself in the shoes of the interviewee, and let’s get going!

1. WHAT ARE WEB SERVICES?

Web services are communication services which devices can use to communicate with one another (usually over the internet).

Typically, a web service provides an object-oriented interface to a database server. In turn, this server provides a user interface to the end user. The information from one server to another is translated to XML or JSON so they’re universally recognized, and can be applied to different devices.

All of this is done over the network. For example, HTTP is used for machine-to-machine communication in web services.

To put it simply: web services are like phones. One computer “speaks” into one handset, and the other hears it and proceeds with instructions.

2. CAN YOU GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF A WEB SERVICE, AND WHY IT’S A WEB SERVICE?

A great example of a web service is Apache CXF.

What makes it a web service is that it supports SOAP, addressing, policy, reliable messaging, has a JAX-WS API for development, and uses HTTP, JMS and WebSocket transport layers, among other features.

Interviewing Against OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) Questions

Patrick David — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 17:13:27 +0000

It’s never a good idea to go into an interview unprepared. While you may have the best experience and a portfolio showing that you’re an expert, the more information you have on the questions you may be asked, the better. This is especially true when it comes to object-oriented programming (OOP) interview questions.

While some OOP interview questions may seem unnecessary, they actually tell the interviewer that:
• You came prepared
• You know how to relay your knowledge
• Your understanding is at a certain level (e.g. expert, intermediate)

Ultimately, the manner in which you answer these questions will determine whether you’ll get the job, and/or what kind of position you’ll get. To help you prepare as much as possible, we’ve compiled all the possible questions you may be asked in your next OOP interview. Let’s take a look!

1. WHAT ARE OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING, A CLASS, AND AN OBJECT?

Object-oriented programming is a programming language model that relies on objects (as opposed to actions), and data (as opposed to logic). These objects typically contain data and interact with one another, which is why they often have self-modifying features once the proper procedures have been put into place. Classes are representations of object types, and objects are instances of class with their own state, behavior and identity.

2. WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON OOP LANGUAGES?

Java, C++, C#, Python, PHP, Ruby.

3. WHAT CAN OOP BE BASED ON?

Typically, it’s based on classes, which are representations of object types. However, OOP can also be prototype-based.

4. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLASS-BASED AND PROTOTYPE-BASED OBJECTS IN OOP, AND WHAT’S AN ABSTRACT CLASS?

When OOP is class-based, we create objects and then sort them into appropriate classes with shared attributes. For example, if we have apples and oranges, we can expect both to have the attributes of fruit (have a color, taste, etc.). However, when we use the prototype-based objects, the objects are our main point of focus. There are no classes, and we observe objects as standalone entities. Finally, an abstract class is a class that can’t be instantiated.

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Interviewing QA Engineers

Patrick David — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 16:10:13 +0000

If you’re a part of a software enterprise, you’ve probably heard about how effective QA engineers can be during the release of an innovative new product. A lot of the time, the difference between a financially profitable application launch and a failed application launch lies in whether or not a QA engineer is part of the production team.

The following is a list of QA engineer interview questions and answers that hiring managers can use to properly interview for potential QA engineers.

First, what exactly is a QA engineer, and why do digital companies need at least one on their payroll? Let’s take a look.

WHAT IS A QA ENGINEER?

A quality assurance engineer, also known as QA engineers, are niche engineers that track the process of a product’s creation from the very beginning to the very end. They typically manage production and test every part of a product to make sure it meets company standards before moving on to the next step in the manufacturing processes.

THE ROLE OF A QA ENGINEER

The ultimate goal of a QA engineer is to protect the product (and ultimately the company) from issues related to government regulations. They make sure the product is market-ready and ready to be released to the public. QA engineers are primarily a part of manufacturing and software teams.

Hiring a QA engineer for any size of a digital software company is a really wise idea. They are an additional safeguard against any faults, failures, or malfunctions that could happen when developing a digital product.

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Interviewing Candidates On SSRS

Patrick David — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 16:07:11 +0000

SQL Server Reporting Services is a vital reporting aspect of website and application creation. Still, not many hiring managers for technical enterprises know enough about SQL Server Reporting Services (or SSRS in order to interview prospective engineers about it.

This is a grand mistake. All software engineers in any size of a company should know quite a bit about SQL Server Reporting Services and implement that knowledge into working on software products.

We’ll be dividing into some SQL Server Reporting Services interview questions and answers that hiring managers should be asking prospective developers in this guide. First, let’s take a look at what SQL Server Reporting Services is in depth and why engineers and developers use SQL Server Reporting Services in the first place.

WHAT IS SQL SERVER REPORTING SERVICES?

SQL Server Reporting Services stands for “SQL Server Reporting Services.” It is a solution that users, namely businesses in the software industry, can use to deploy their own premises for managing, publishing, and creating reports. It is also used for delivering reports to the correct users in a variety of ways, including via web browser, via a mobile device, or via email.

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