API is a term we often hear when working closely or remotely in the world of technology, but it’s not necessarily well understood. I will explain, simplifying as much as possible, what it is and what it’s used for.
WHAT IS AN API?
API stands for “Application Programming Interface,” which is translated to “Interface de Programmation Applicative” in French. In simple terms, it’s like a toolbox that a service (software, database, website, etc.) provides to developers so that they can utilize the service’s functions. For example, Instagram has an API that allows developers to communicate with its database and retrieve information. This means that on the TREIZE website, we could use it to create a section that displays the three most recent photos in which we are tagged.
A simpler way to understand what an API is is to think of it like a restaurant menu. When you enter a café, you look at the menu and place an order. The employee (barista, latte master, or whoever makes them happy) takes your order and gives you what you asked for. You may not necessarily know what happened between the moment you placed an order and the moment you received it, but that doesn’t matter. An API works in a similar way. You send it a request, and it returns what you ordered.
An API allows two systems to communicate in a stable and secure manner.
What is the purpose of an api?
IT ALLOWS ACCESS CONTROL.
Let’s say I am the creator of Instagram. My application retrieves information, sometimes public (user-uploaded photos, their descriptions, etc.), but also sometimes private (user passwords, private conversations between users, etc.). I might want to allow external developers to access information, but not just any information. Creating an API would allow me to let external individuals retrieve specific information that I have selected. So, I could create a function that would allow the retrieval of basic user information, like the number of followers, the number of following, and the number of photos they have posted.
Furthermore, an API can grant access to certain functions to one developer but not to another. An example you experience in your daily life is when you install a new app on your phone. Sometimes, your phone asks if you allow the app to use your location. If you decline, the app won’t be able to access that information, even if another app on the same phone can.
it helps developers
APIs really make developers’ work much easier. Let’s say I’m developing a mobile app to always list the bars closest to the user in real-time. Instead of having to build a geolocation system from scratch, I can simply request access to my phone’s geolocation system, and that’s it! You use APIs every day without even knowing it. Google Maps on a website, signing up on a website using your Facebook account, making a payment on a website using PayPal, and so on.
ok, but in the end?
In the end, if you’re not a developer, it may never serve any practical purpose for you, except for making you look knowledgeable at your next happy hour when someone asks you what an “API” means. I’m telling you this because that’s exactly what happened to Nicolas, a friend who looked really cool last week in front of his colleague who was wondering what is UX Design.
