What is API

Everyone is looking for the best paying job，in order to enter this industry。and，in this list，Web developers have been at the forefront for years，and due to high demand，will remain in the same position。If you are someone who wants to enter this industry，You must know the most important terms used in。in all terms，API is another term that plays a very important role in building a website。So，What is an API - (Application Programming Interface)?

To give you a clear understanding through the diagramWhat is API，let us liftA real-life API example，You can think of an API as a waiter in a restaurant，He will listen to your order request，find chef，Take the food ordered and hand the order to you。also，If you want to find out how the API works with examples，here is one。you areXYZon the websiteSearch courses(assumed DSA-Self Paced)，You send a request via the API (request product search)，Then the database searches for the course and checks if it is available，APIResponsibleSend your request to the database (Search for Courses) and respond with the output (Best DSA Courses)。

What is an API?

Full name of APIyesapplication programming interface，It is a collection of communication protocols and subroutines used for communication between various programs。Programmers can use various API tools to make their programs easier、simpler。also，APIs also provide programmers with an efficient way to develop software programs。therefore，api meaningis when an API helps two programs or applications communicate with each other by providing them with the necessary tools and functionality。It receives requests from users and sends them to the service provider，Then again send the results generated by the service provider to the desired user。

Developers use APIs extensively in their software，Various functions are implemented by using API calls，without writing complex code for it。we canoperating system、database system、Hardware system、JavaScript filesor similar object-oriented file creation API。also，API is similar to GUI (Graphical User Interface)，But there is one major difference。Unlike GUI，application interfaceHelps software developers access web tools，And a GUI helps make a program easier for users to understand。

How does the API work?

Clearly explain how the API works in just a few simple steps。Imagine a client-server architecture，where the client sends the request to the server over the medium and receives the response over the same medium。API acts as a communication medium between two programs or systems，to achieve functionality。The client is the user/customer (the one who sends the request)，The medium isAPI programming，The server is the backend (where requests are accepted and responses are provided)。The working steps of the API are as follows –

• The client initiates a request through an API URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)
• After the API receives the request，Make a call to the server
• The server then sends the response back to the API，it contains information
• at last，API transfers data to client

API considered safe from attacks，Because it contains authorization credentials and API gateway to restrict access，thereby minimizing security threats。To provide an extra layer of security to your data，HTTP headers used、Query string parameters or cookies。

How do APIs differ from web applications?

API acts as an interface that allows correct communication between two programs，A web application is a network-based resource responsible for completing a single task。also，important to know“All web services are APIs，But not all APIs are web”。

The difference between API and web application is，API allows two-way communication，A web application is just a way for users to interact through a web browser。The web application may have an API to fulfill the request。

API type

APIs come in three basic forms：

1. WEB API

Web APIsAlso known as web services，It is a widely used API on the Internet，Can be easily accessed using HTTP protocol。WebThe application programming interface isAn open source interface，A large number of clients can use mobile phones、Tablet or PC use。

2. Local API

In this type of API，Programmers can obtain local middleware services。TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface) and .NET are common examples of native APIs。

3. Program API

It utilizes RPC (Remote Procedure Call) to make a remote program look like a local program。SOAP is a well-known example of such an API。

Some other types of APIs：

• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)：It defines XML-formatted messages that web applications use to communicate with each other.。
• REST (Representational State Transfer)：It uses HTTP to obtain、release、Place or delete data。It is mainly used to leverage existing data。
• JSON-RPC：Using JSON for data transfer，Is a lightweight remote procedure call that defines some data structure types。
• XML-RPC：XML based，Using HTTP for data transfer。This API is widely used to exchange information between two or more networks。

What is a REST API?

REST stands for Representational State Transfer，Follow the constraints of the REST architecture，Allows interaction with RESTful web services。It defines a set of functions (GET、PUT、POST、DELETE），Clients can access server data using these functions。Functions used include：

• GET (retrieve records)
• PUT (update record)
• POST (create record)
• DELETE (delete record)

Its main feature is that REST API is stateless，i.e. the server does not save the client's data between requests。

What is Web API?

Web API is simply the API of the Web。It is an API accessible using HTTP protocol。Can use Java、.nET and other builds。It is used to extend the functionality of the browser、Simplify complex functionality and provide simple syntax for complex code。

The four main types of Web APIs are：

• Open API
• Partner API
• Internal API
• Composite API

SOAP vs. REST

What is API (application programming interface) integration?

API (Application Programming Interface) integration is connecting two or more applications through an API，allows you to exchange data。it is a medium，You can share data and communicate with each other through it，This is done by using APIs to allow web tools to communicate。Due to the rise of cloud-based products，API integration becomes very important。

What is API (Application Programming Interface) testing?

API (application programming interface) testingIt is a software testing，It analyzes the functionality of the API、security、Performance and reliability。Testing your API is very important，to check if it works as expected。if not，Then make changes to the schema again and re-validate。

APIs are the core of software development，For exchanging data across applications。API testing involves sending requests to single/multiple API endpoints and verifying the responses。It mainly focuses on business logic、Data response and security and performance bottlenecks。

API testing tools：

• postman
• Give him a call
• JMeter
• Ping API
• soap user interface
• staticREST

How to create an API?

Unless you know the basic concepts very well，Otherwise creating an API is a simple task。This is an iterative process (based on feedback)，Just a few simple steps：

• Plan your goals and target users
• Design API architecture
• Develop (implement code) and test API
• Monitor its work and work based on feedback

Must read：Tips for building APIs

Limitations on using the API

When creating an API (Application Programming Interface)，It's not actually released as downloadable software，and it has some policies governing its use or restricting its use，generally，There are three main types of policies governing APIs，They are：

• private：These APIs are made only for a single person or entity (such as the company that expended the resources to make or purchase it)。
• Partners：As the name suggests，It grants usage rights to the API to some partners of the entity that owns the API，for his or her private use。
• public：you should know about them，Because if you don't have specific API access to a private entity that owns those APIs for private use，Then you can only find these APIs in the market for your own use。An example of a public API is Microsoft's "Windows API"，For more public APIs，You can access this GitHub repository -> https://github.com/public-apis/public-apis。

API Advantages

• efficiency：Compared to the output produced by humans in the organization，APIs produce results more efficiently、faster、more reliable。
• Flexible service delivery： API provides fast、Flexible service delivery。
• integrated： The best feature of the API is that it allows data to be moved between sites，thereby enhancing the integrated user experience。
• automation：Since the API uses robot computers instead of humans，Therefore it can produce better、More automated results。
• new features：When using the API，Developers can discover new tools and features for API exchange。

API Disadvantages

• cost：Developing and implementing APIs can sometimes be costly，and requires a lot of maintenance and support from developers。
• Security Question：Using APIs adds another layer of surface，vulnerable to attack，Therefore security risk issues are common in APIs。

in conclusion

so far，You must have clearly understoodWhat is an API?How it works、type、Test tools used, etc.。After understanding these concepts，You can try to study some concepts by implementing them in your project。Not just theoretical knowledge，You also have to have a practical idea of ​​it through practice。Developers must have a deep understanding of APIs to implement them。

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