APIs make a valuable part of developmental processes. It is a powerful tool, and when it is well developed, Both the developers and users can use it to achieve great things. Users and customers use APIs every day, and they do not even know it. In this article, we will dive deep into what APIs are how they work in an application.
What are APIs?
API is referred to as the application programming interface that allows two parts of the software to communicate. In simpler terms, API delivers requests to providers and returns the responses to you as the user.
One good feature of an API is that it helps provide the building blocks of certain features of an application making it easier to develop the application.
Whenever you are building an application, you do not have to create all the components from scratch. Likewise, you do not need to reinvent the wheel when writing a new application when you have an API. Instead, you need to focus on the application's unique points and let the APIs handle the commodity functions.
The primary function and reason why developers use and build API is the abstraction of functions. Here, the API endpoint extracts a specific part from the central infrastructure providing the service to deliver what you need.
How does the API work?
APIs are defined by specific sets of rules that the provider creates. If there are two machines or two parts of a system that want to communicate, the API is responsible for that.
For example, if you are trying to sign in to your application using Facebook or Google, you tell these platforms that you would like to access your account and use it for the authentication process. The API, however, will be responsible for taking for your information and credentials and returning the data to your application.
Today, there are many APIs that both developers and users can use to access any machine or system. One of the most popular scenarios used to describe an API is the scenario of the customer, the waiter, and the kitchen in a restaurant.
First, the kitchen does all the necessary work in creating the food. Next, the customer comes in and tells the waiter what she wants and orders it, and then the waiter moves the food from the kitchen to the customers and vice versa. In this scenario, the waiter is the API, the customers are the users, while the kitchen is the server that creates the order.
Features of an API.
There are many features of an API in your web application, and some of them are listed as follows.
It is stateless.
All the requests from the client-side to the server-side are independent and contain all the necessary information that the server can understand and process accordingly.
It is client-server-based.
Here, the client handles the frontend of the application, and the server deals with the backend of the application. As a result, both of them can communicate effectively.
It works with a layered architecture.
With an API, the layers are arranged in a hierarchy to see the layer they interact with.
It brings out code on demand.
The API extends the system functionality by executing the code in the form of scripts.
It is cachable.
The good thing about APIs is that they can maintain all the cached responses set between the client and the server and avoid additional processing.
Why do developers use APIs?
There is a lot of reason to use APIs. Unfortunately, they are too many to count. Here are my answers from a few developers who love working with APIs to improve their developmental processes.
Ease of adding or enhancing system functionalities.
One of the main reasons many developers work with APIs is the ease of improving the functionality of a system. If you have a system that does specific tasks, you can look for APIs that perform the given function and integrate it with ease instead of hardcore a new feature.
It makes the development process faster and seamless.
With APIs included in an application, it is easier to deliver the functionality and code to the users. In addition, when APIs are used, developers do not ship heavy, monolithic applications. Instead, they can provide microservices. Because of all these, the developers can improve the development process and reduce the time used in reviews and testing.
It contributes to low development and overhead costs.
One of the best ways developers use APIs to reduce software development costs is to build reusable components. For example, suppose a backend development gets a system, then with the use of APIs. Then, other developers can use these APIs to develop other parts of the system, thereby reducing the development costs.
It helps in mobile development.
Aside from web applications, most mobile applications utilize APIS to accept important information. For example, if you are using a flight booking app, the flight attendants will see your data and know where you are sitting whenever you book a seat on the mobile app.
Different types of API architecture.
There are many API architectures that you can work with to give you the best kind of results you need. Some are newer, while some are older, but they have their unique functionality depending on what you need. Their architecture includes.
REST APIs
One unique feature of REST APIs is that it works with simple structures such as the client-server structure. It also has equal and uniform interfaces that are used to communicate across all the systems available.
GraphQL
Graph QL stands for Graph Query Language, and it helps show how one API connects with another API for information. With GraphQL, the API does not need to rely on the server for the endpoint, and it can also access specific information.
SOAP API
SOAP stands for Simple object protocol, and one unique feature is that it had more structure than other kinds of APIs. SOAP API work with XML messaging protocols.
gRPC API
gRPC APIs are unique API architectures that Google developed. It stands for Remote Procedure Call, and here, the client can call on a server as if it is a local object. It makes communication between the client and the server easier.
Websocket APIs
Websocket APIs is also a unique type of APIs that uses full-duplex computer communication to create ways to send information to clients. With WebSocket API, it is possible to communicate and share data and information while keeping the connection lines open.
Conclusion
The introduction of APIs to modern software development has been a game-changer. APIs have enabled companies to embed key functionalities that could have taken them forever to develop. It has also helped these companies connect their applications to the best of APIs that currently exis