Introduction to API
Application Programming Interface, or API, is a software bridge that enables communication between two applications. You utilize an API every time you use a mobile app like Facebook, send an instant message, or check the weather.
Consider an API to be the middleman between the server and the application you are using. Your app will use an API to communicate with the web server once you instruct it to do anything on your behalf. This is referred to as a request. The server will then send a reply for the middleman to send to your app.
Let's use this as a real-world illustration of an API. You enter a restaurant, choose a table by the window, and wait for the waiter to bring your food. The cook can't take your order directly since he has other orders to prepare in the kitchen, thus the waiter serves as your middleman in this situation. In response to a request you make to the waiter, the kitchen responds with your order, which the waiter then brings to your table.
Use-cases of API
APIs are useful. An API is created with your goals in mind because, as was already discussed, communication between different programs and apps is necessary to complete a task.
Let us take a look at a few examples:
Database APIs facilitate communication between a database management system and an application. For instance, the Google-owned mobile web application platform Firebase enables developers to easily sync and store data in real-time without needing to maintain servers or create server-side code.
The most popular APIs are Web APIs since they use HTTP to send requests from web applications and get responses from servers. These web APIs are used by developers to add functionality to their apps and websites and to make them more user-friendly. Examples include adding a Facebook or Google login option or a map using the Google Map API.
Importance of API
There are many advantages of an API. Some of those are:
a. Saves a Developer's Time
APIs have the potential to save a lot of time. It removes the need to write many lines of code, cutting the time it takes to construct an app and lowering the likelihood of coding errors.
b. Helps in Automated Testing
To ensure that one of the bugs is not discovered, the manual testing method, which was previously done by hand, is automated with a quicker application development approach. assisting developers to produce an app that exceeds customer expectations for both quality and standards.
c. Adaptability
In terms of needs that emerge in the proper course of business, API can predict changes. It increases the flexibility of the service offerings by using the technologies at its disposal to more thoroughly analyze the data already existent in the system.