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How Big Impact an API Has in the Realm of Development

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How Big Impact an API Has in the Realm of Development


In the way humans communicate with each other by word of mouth, expressions, and gestures, in a similar way, apps do that with the help of APIs (Application Programming Interface). It sounds weird, but applications do talk to each other using intermediary software. For example, you own an Ecommerce application where users can easily browse and add products to their cart, but to complete the transaction, they need to complete the purchase by making a payment. For payment processing and transaction completion, you need a payment gateway built from the scratch or integrate a readymade payment gateway like PayU or RazorPay with the help of the Best 3rd Party Integration Company in Delhi.

Related : API vs SDK: Guide to Basic Difference


In short, an API is a set of functions that allow applications to access data and interact with external services. It helps deliver a user request to the system and deliver the response back to the user. APIs have two components:

  1. Technical specifications:
  2. Software interface

APIs by type

Divided on the release policies APIs are private, partner, and public. As each one has its own specialty and responsibility, the terms are used in the development world by different developers.

  1. Partner: These kinds of APIs are openly promoted but are only available for users that are known to the business partners. For example, software integration between the two parties.
  2. Private: These kinds of APIs are privately and solely used within an organization and are mostly built for company employees. For example, integrate existing systems.
  3. Public: These kinds of APIs are available to any third-party developer and are usually designed for customers.

Use cases of APIs

Used for maintaining communication between various software and apps. APIs are handy in nature as they are designed to achieve a particular goal. The common use cases of APIs are:

  1. Database APIs: Database APIs are those that enable communication between an application and a database management system. It helps developers work with databases, write queries to access the data, change tables, and more. For instance, the ORDS database API.
  2. Operating system APIs: As every operating system has its own set of APIs, they help define how applications can use the resources and services of the system. For instance, the Windows API and the Linux API.
  3. Remote APIs: Designed based on the web standards, remote APIs interact through a communication network. For instance, the Java database connectivity API and the Java remote method invocation API.
  4. Web APIs: These APIs are designed to extend the functionality of apps and sites with the help of delivering requests from web applications and responses from servers using (HTTP).

How does an API work?

An application programming interface (APIworks as a middleman between the app and the server. The moment you perform a click in your app, it uses an API to communicate with the web server, informing it what to do, which is known as a request. Once the request is delivered, the server sends the response via the middleman to the app.

Even though APIs are handy, their role is considerably greater, not only from the development angle but also from the business angle. APIs are important in the world of information technology as they are used in a number of apps and software products, both in the corporate industry and for personal use as well.

Also Read: Recommended Reasons to use Android App Bundles

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