What Is an API—An Ultimate Guide
Learn what is an API and why are APIs necessary
API or Application Programming Interface allows communication between applications.
An API is not a server. Instead, it’s an intermediary software that is used to access it.
When you look up the weather from your smartphone or desktop, the browser talks with an API under the hood. Here is an illustration of APIs:
When you hear the word API, it usually refers to a web API. This article is no exception in that regard.
How an API Works
An API defines a set of rules on how applications can communicate with one another. API is the middleman between an application and a web server. It’s responsible for forwarding the requests from an application to a server and vice versa.
Here’s how API requests work:
- A browser makes an API call to retrieve data from a web server. This can be weather data for example.
- The API in front of the server catches the request and calls to the server and asks for the data.