Beginner · Systems

Application programming interface (API)

Visual diagram · (in preparation) · Math · (in preparation) · Worked example · 3 difficulty levels.

TL;DR. An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other.

Technical Definition

An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other.

How it works

An Application Programming Interface (API) defines how software components should interact. It acts as an intermediary, allowing developers to use pre-built functionalities of other software or services without needing to know their internal workings.