How an API Works: A Simple Explanation for Beginners

An application programming interface, or API, acts as a kind of "middleman" to facilitate communication between different programs. Simply put, it is a set of guidelines and resources that programs use to exchange information or functionality. For example, there is a good chance that an API is running in the background facilitating communication between many services when you use a smartphone app or visit a website.

Think of an API as a restaurant waiter. By communicating your preferences to the waiter, you (the user) place your order. The server delivers the finished food after passing your order to the kitchen, which is the restaurant's back-end system. In this case, the waiter is acting as a middleman; instead of preparing your food, he helps you get what you need. In a similar way, an API allows a computer to "request" and receive information in an understandable format from another program.

Requests and responses are the fundamental idea of ​​how APIs work. Using common methods (such as HTTP requests), you send a request to an API and receive a response, which often includes the necessary data in XML or JSON format. For example, when using a weather app, the app sends a request to a weather service API, which then provides the temperature, wind speed, and precipitation for a specific city.

APIs are critical because they ease the development process and allow you to create relationships between services. For example, social media (such as Instagram or Twitter), mapping applications, and online payment systems all have their own APIs that allow developers to use these features in their products.

APIs allow programmers to focus on creating new features without having to start from scratch. This speeds up the process and allows you to develop complex, coherent systems. For those new to programming, knowing how APIs work is a crucial skill.