An API is an Application Programming Interface. It’s a set of libraries or rules that govern how applications talk to each other. When people speak of “an API”, they sometimes generalize and actually mean “a publicly available web-based API that returns data, likely in JSON or XML”. The API is not the database or even the server, it is the code that governs the access point(s) for the server.
If an API is described as being RESTful, that refers to REpresentational State Transfer. In simple terms, this means it is easier for systems to communicate with each other by providing standards between different computer systems.
With a RESTful API, clients can send requests to retrieve resources while the server responds. This calls for an easy, seamless, and fast interaction.
Why is having a RESTful API important?
The pervasiveness of REST is one of its key strengths; you are not only choosing a technology, you are also joining an enormous ecosystem of tools, best practices and developers.
The utilization of REST is regularly favored over the more heavyweight SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) style in light of the fact that REST does not influence as much bandwidth, which makes it a fit for using over the Web. The SOAP methodology requires composing or utilizing a given server system (to serve information) and a customer project (to demand data).
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Great APIs can be characterized as stateless, meaning the server doesn’t need to know the state the client is in. This works both ways. Because of this, the server and the client can understand any message without seeing any previously sent.
APIs also perform quickly and reliably due to the ability to manage and update components without affecting the entire system.
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We're always adding new Features, so if you have one you can't live without, let us know using the Contact Us Form.For more information check out our Order Time Cheat Sheet.
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