What Are APIs and How Do They Work?
If you've ever read tech magazines or blogs, you've probably come across the acronym API. It appears to be reliable, but what does it signify and why should you bother? Let us begin with an easy example: human communication. We can express ourselves through language (both written and spoken), gestures, and facial expressions. User interface components such as a screen with a menu and graphical elements, a keyboard, and a mouse are required for interaction with computers, apps, and websites. To communicate with one another, software or its pieces do not require a graphical user interface. APIs are machine-readable interfaces that allow software products to communicate data and functionality (application programming interfaces). APIs are commonly used in dynamic website design, because in static website, there is no use of APIs. An Extremely Basic History of APIs APIs first appeared in computing history, long before the personal computer. An API was typically used as a library f...