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Application Programming Interface (API)

What is an API?

API stands for Application Programming Interface. APIs are a set of protocols that define how applications or systems communicate with each other.

When an organization expresses parts of its business software applications through APIs, it can expand its functions to a much larger degree. This enables users to have seamless connected experiences, regardless of how they choose to access information.

A user can choose to send an email using a web application, read a reply using a mobile application, view an attached video on a home device, and read an attached report on an iPad—all depending on what is convenient to them. This is possible because all these applications are connected by APIs.

What is REST API?

Representational State Transfer (REST) API is an architecture style for designing network applications that generally uses HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) to get a response from the server.

REST API calls are stateless, which means that every call is responded to based on the incoming request, and there is no record of previous interactions. They are a popular choice among businesses to interact with cloud applications. Many social media sites and browsers use REST APIs to help the user have an integrated experience.