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Although APIs are extensively used on your computer and the internet, few pay attention to them and understand their essence. If you're seeking to understand what APIs are and the common types of APIs, refer to the following article.
What is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface. In definition, it is an interface provided by a computer system or application to allow requests for services to be made from other programs, and/or to allow data to be exchanged between them.
In reality, many activities occur following a similar model. For example, when entering a fine dining restaurant, there are talented chefs along with an extensive menu. While the chefs prepare your meal, you don't need to go to the kitchen yourself to request specific dishes. The waitstaff assist you. Simply choose your desired dishes, inform the server, and they relay your request to the kitchen. Once the meal is ready, the waitstaff deliver it to your table. In this scenario, the server acts as an API - an intermediary communicator between you and the chefs.
On computers, software programs can communicate with each other, notably between any program and the operating system. The program may (and often must) use the operating system's APIs to request memory allocation and access files. APIs of different operating systems are unique, thus software on one operating system may not run on another.
One of the primary purposes of an API is to provide access to a set of commonly used functions, such as functions for drawing windows or icons on the screen. APIs, like most interfaces, are abstract. Software wanting to provide access to itself through available APIs must implement those APIs. Many types of systems and applications implement APIs, such as graphics systems, databases, networks, web services, and even some computer games.
Types of APIs
There are various ways to classify APIs. One common approach is based on access permissions, including:
● Open APIs: Also known as public APIs, there are no restrictions on accessing these types of APIs as they are publicly available.
● Partner APIs: Specific permissions or licenses are required to access these APIs as they are not publicly available.
● Internal APIs: Also referred to as private APIs, only internal systems use this type of API, making them less known and typically used within the company scope. Companies employ these APIs across different internal development teams to enhance their products and services.
In addition, APIs are often classified into smaller sectors within the information technology industry, such as APIs on operating systems, APIs of software libraries and frameworks, APIs on the web, ...
Some example APIs
One of the APIs commonly encountered on the internet is the feature of using Facebook (or Google, Twitter, etc.) accounts to log in to other websites not controlled by Facebook (such as Shopee, Sendo, etc.). Each time you click on the 'Log in with Facebook' button on those websites, it calls Facebook's API. Facebook handles the account authentication, so the website doesn't need to. If the authentication is successful, your Facebook account can access that site.
Another commonly encountered API on the Internet is Google Maps. This API has been integrated into millions of websites, large and small, worldwide. Google Maps can be considered a standard for modern-day mapping. We can easily determine the location of a company, organization, or store through the integrated map on their website or social media page.
Besides web APIs, there are plenty of other examples to mention. For instance, when taking photos or recording videos from an iPhone camera, there's no need to develop your own camera interface. You utilize the camera API to embed the integrated camera in the iPhone into your application. Without these APIs, app developers would have to create their own camera software and compile hardware camera inputs. However, Apple has handled all these challenging tasks, allowing app developers to simply use the API to embed the camera and then continue building their applications.
Through this article, Mytour has elucidated what APIs are and provided examples and classifications of APIs. We hope this information proves beneficial to you!
