Knowledge Maxxing← Back to topic library
Dev MaxxingBeginnerAPIs60 sec
API
An API is a defined set of rules that lets one piece of software request functionality or data from another, without needing to know its internal implementation.
What matters
APIs are what let separate applications, or separate parts of the same application, work together reliably, since each side only needs to honor the agreed interface.
Example
A weather app uses a weather service's API to request the forecast for a city, without needing to know how that service actually computes it.
Common misconception
An API is not necessarily a web-based service; the term applies broadly to any defined interface between software components, including ones on the same machine.
Recall question
What does an API let one piece of software do without knowing another's internals?
Keywords and related concepts
APIinterfacesoftware integrationapi endpoint