API stands for Application Programming Interface. An API is not a screen, nor a website.
It is not something humans usually click and has been using regularly behind scene even more after introduction to social media
At its simplest, an API is a way for one system to communicate with another.
A middle layer that helps two different things understand each other without needing to know how the other one works internally.
Example 1: A language translator
Imagine you speak Nepali and your friend speaks Japanese.
You want to say, “How are you?”
You don’t suddenly learn Japanese.
Your friend doesn’t learn Nepali.
Instead, you can use a translator (personal or google :P ).
You speak in Nepali.
The translator listens.
The translator speaks Japanese to your friend.
You don’t care how the translator works inside.
You only care that:
You say something
The other person understands it
That translator is acting like an API.
You provide input in a format you understand.
The translator converts it and passes it forward.
Example 2: TV remote and television
A TV remote is a perfect real-world example of an API.
You press a button.
The TV reacts.
You don’t know:
How the signal travels
How the TV processes it
How the volume actually increases
You only know the agreement:
This button means volume up
This button means power off
As long as both sides respect that agreement, things work smoothly.
That agreement is the key idea behind APIs.
Example 3: The hot burning cake (Social media apps)
Now let’s bring this idea into the digital world. When you open a social media app:
You see posts
You see likes
You see comments
Your phone is not storing all of this information locally.
Behind the scenes, your app is talking to another system that holds the data. It asks for posts, sends likes, and fetches comments.
This conversation happens through APIs.
The app does not directly touch the database. The database does not care about your screen. They communicate through a defined interface.
That interface is the API.
The important idea
An API is not about technology first. It’s about communication and boundaries.
One system says:
“This is how you can talk to me.”
The other system says:
“Fine, I’ll talk to you in that way.”
When APIs are clear and well-designed, systems can grow, change, and scale without breaking each other.
When APIs are confusing or hard to understand, everything slows down.
In the next part, let's talk about types of APIs and when it's used and how the social media talks using it.
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