What Is an API? Explained Simply Finally No Jargon
What is an API? I will explain to you in simple terms using some everyday examples.
You’ll probably have heard developers using the term API before. However, after listening to it being said a few times you’ll also probably be wondering whether they actually know what they’re talking about.
Don’t worry! The concept behind an API is very simple and I’ll explain it below.
Simple Explanation
An API stands for Application Programming Interface.
This basically means a set of rules that allow two software systems to communicate with each other.
The Restaurant Example
Imagine you’re in a restaurant. You wouldn’t go into the kitchen and cook yourself. You would:
Look at the menu to see what you want.
Tell the waiter what you want.
They then take your request to the kitchen.
They cook the food.
They then bring the food back to you.
You don’t need to know how the food was cooked, you just need to know how to order.
In this example:
You are the app/website that is requesting information.
The waiter is the API.
The kitchen is the system that is doing the work.
The menu represents what requests you can make.
The purpose of an API within this example is to make sure that all of the communication is done in a clean way.
Everyday Examples
We use APIs all the time throughout the day.
When logging into an app using our Google or Facebook account, an API is used to verify who we are without sharing our password.
When checking the weather in an app, an API is often used to pull data from a weather service.
When viewing a map in a food delivery app, an API is often used from a mapping service.
When paying online, an API is often used from the payment processor.
When embedding a video from YouTube, an API is used from YouTube.
Nearly all modern apps are made up from multiple APIs.
Why Are They Important?
They Allow Companies To Share Functionality
A weather company can allow thousands of apps to view their weather data by using an API. This keeps their work secure whilst still allowing other people to build on top of it.
They Save Developers A Lot Of Time
Rather than having to create your own mapping system, you can use an existing API. This will save you time and help you focus on creating unique functionality within your app.
They Enable Whole Industries
Many modern businesses rely on multiple APIs to work. Ride share apps, food delivery platforms and fintech startups are all heavily reliant on multiple APIs such as maps, payments and messaging.
Common Terms In APIs
Request – This is what you send to the API asking for something. For Example: Give me today’s weather for this city.
Response – This is what is returned. For Example: Here the weather is 72F and sunny.
Endpoint – This is a specific menu item that you can request from the API.
API Key – This is a unique code which identifies who is requesting. Like showing ID.
Rate Limit – This is a limit on how many requests you can make in a certain time frame.
Why It’s Important (Even If You’re Not A Developer)
Knowing what an API is will help you understand lots of modern tech.
Why apps can connect to each other.
Some services cost developers to use as many companies charge for their API.
Why apps can sometimes go down. If a large API goes down that lots of apps use, lots of unrelated services can be affected.
Why AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini can be integrated in other products. Companies integrate AI assistants into their app using an API.
Easy Way To Think About It
Next time you hear an API think of a waiter passing requests between two systems that don’t understand how they work.
That’s literally what an API is!
Final Thoughts
An API is a back-end technology that is used to power nearly everything we do online. Most people don’t think about how it all actually works, however knowing the basics of an API (the waiter) will help you understand lots of modern technology.
It’s not magic, it’s just organised communication between computer programmes.
Now that you know what an API is can you spot any in the apps you use daily? Let me know in the comments! It’s oddly satisfying!
