API? What is it?

If you're not a programmer or the technical type, you should be aware of what an API (Application Programming Interface) is. APIs, after all, are critical to many of the goods and services we appreciate today because they enable various programs to communicate with one another.

I just want to share with you an analogy that has helped me grasp what APIs are and why they're so important.

Food Ordering

You've returned home, you're hungry, and you're sluggish. It's time to get some food.

You decide to order from Fusion Bistro, so you browse their menu to see what's available, then place an order for a specific dish. The order is taken at Fusion Bistro, forwarded to the kitchen, and a series of steps are taken to create the dish. That dish is brought to you and quickly consumed.

So, what exactly is an API?

In the example above, you're a program, and the restaurants are programs with which you'd like to interact. You must make a specific request (place an order) to receive what you want (food) from the other program (restaurant) (defined by the menu). You will not get what you want if you make your request incorrectly.

APIs are similar to menus. Menus establish a list of meals, and when someone orders one of them, the restaurant performs a series of tasks before returning the requested item. APIs establish a set of commands, and when one of those commands is used, the other program performs a series of tasks before returning what the command asked (usually some kind of data).

It's worth noting that the food ordering example isn't perfect. When ordering food, there are numerous options available to achieve the same purpose. Programs, on the other hand, aren't as intelligent or adaptable as humans. When sending a request to another program, it must be prepared in a precise manner.

As a result, APIs define a set of commands as well as the format in which those commands must be delivered. When a company releases an API for their software, it's essentially telling everyone: here's what you can receive from our program, and here's how you can ask for it.

Now you can answer what an API is

Returning to the food analogy, APIs allow you to order different items from different restaurants without having to leave your house.

APIs also simplify things. When you order food from a restaurant, there are a number of complex stages that must be completed in order for your order to be fulfilled. Ingredient preparation, precision heating, food packaging, and so on. How inconvenient would it be if you had to recount each step of the process every time you ordered a dish? Instead, just say the menu item, and everything else is taken care of for you.

APIs are crucial to the Internet of Things because of this. APIs allow businesses to concentrate on their core competencies while using the tools and programs of other businesses as needed to produce an IoT product or service that is more than the sum of its parts.