API is the short form for Application Programming Interface, which is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other.

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a way for two or more programs to communicate with each other.

The above mentioned definition is not clear and beginners may find it hard to understand.  Our main aim in this blog is to make readers understand API in the simplest way possible.

Let’s consider the following scenario:

Imagine you are hungry and do not have enough resources to prepare food by yourself. Then what will you do? You can order things online right away, but as of now, let’s imagine  that you will go to a restaurant.

You enter the restaurant, sit at the table, and the staff hands over the menu to you. .

The kitchen of the restaurant is the “system” that will prepare your food.

But something is missing.

The missing link between you and the kitchen, the communication link which will take your order to the kitchen and will deliver the food that you ordered.

That’s where the waiter or API comes in. The waiter is the link between you and the kitchen or in other words, the waiter is the API.that takes your request or order and tells the kitchen or system what to do. Then the waiter delivers the response to you.

In this case, the “response” is the food that you have ordered.

API is the short form for Application Programming Interface, which is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other.

In all of the above processes, an API also provides us with a security layer. Now, you will have a question ‘how’?

The application then interprets the data and presents what you wanted in a readable way.

In our example, you tell the restaurant what you would like to eat (Get Method), they tell you what they need in return  (JSON schema, access token, etc) and at the end, you get your yummy meal  (POST method).

This is how an API helps in securely carrying messages; in our case, it is food.

How does an API work?

Consider the following scenario for an easy understanding of API.

When you use an application on your mobile devices, the application connects to the internet and sends data to the server.

The server then retrieves that data, interprets it, performs the necessary actions, and sends it back to your phone(client).

The application then interprets that data and presents you with the information that you wanted in a precise and readable way. This is what an API is all about.  

Thank you. We hope this blog will help you understand the concept of API better.