An overview of an API as a service.

API’s is the latest buzz in the web development world nowadays. But for the regular person, what is it actually?

API stands for “Application Programming Interface” and in spite of the long name, API as a service is actually designed to do something quite easy to enable programmers from the external web system to access any current website services. 

Take, for instance, Twitter! Twitter has an open API which enables web developers from all across the internet to create different ways to post messages to the Twitter social network. Web developers and programmers of independent blogs, ecommerce sites, news sites or anything else can utilize the Twitter API to develop almost anything you can think about Twitter posting. Just like sending photos, sharing videos, tracking retweets, and much more. These applications are able to do what they do as they link back to the Twitter through the Twitter API.

Other popular instances of API comprise of eBay, Amazon.com, Facebook and Google Maps. You can also add much of these services to your website in respect of its value and services. 

However, with all the positive facets of the API platform, is there any shortcoming? Well, type of. APIs eventually relies on the service they are developed on. Therefore, if Facebook or Twitter suddenly runs out of business, for example, you would be left dry with useless API that will not work anyhow. It appears quite unlikely that any of that is happening soon, nonetheless, you can get yourself an API today!

API development is an extremely integral part in the world of software development, in spite of the complete lack of recognition from the external world. 

Right from sending email via SMS to posting pictures on the social media sites, API as a service is what allows application; libraries and operating system recognize one another and interact, turning software and technology from intricate niche devices to widely accessible, multipurpose consumer services. 

An API platform works just like an user interface, offering an abstract interface for functional interaction between various components of various software systems. There are various types of API, customized to general or precise uses. His two main categories are:

Precise APIs: These are APIs designed for a precise purpose or problem. Instances comprise of Google maps API, which allows developers o access the Google maps data templates to create tools and visualizations like online pedometers or journey planners, or an SMS API for text message marketing campaigns.

General APIs: This is the most extensive type of API, as a part of the programming language that enables for functional interaction between various programs. Instances comprise of the standard templates Library in Java API C++.

The ability to openly utilize Web APIs has enabled the creation of an assortment of commonly utilized web services these days. Possibly the best instance is the ability to integrate content from one web page to another through a simple HTML code.

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