API means Application Programming Interface, but what is an API? An API allows for different programs to work together in multiple ways. You tend to hear the term API in the development world so often with very little information about it and it can be confusing, but this will hopefully help you with understanding what an API is!

Imagine walking in to a shoe shop. The clerk at the front then asks you if you would like some help finding a good pair of shoes. This clerk is essentially an API in this situation. You don’t know the whole process behind manufacturing, shipping, arranging and pricing the shoes but this clerk is there to help make the process of buying your favourite pair of new shoes that much easier. An API is the clerk for a websites information and processes. The API just gives you all of the relevant information needed in a convenient manner.

An API is a software mediator that acts as the middle man between two applications and allows them to communicate with each other. When you use apps like Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram together, it’s an API that allows them all to talk to each other seamlessly without having to develop the code to do it. An API Essentially connects one process to another, making API’s essential for use between two programs.

An API is your interpreter when dealing with other applications, making everything easier.