What is API (types of API, API Examples, how works API, modern API system and API platforms) | API in Linux and python system

 

Tables of Contents...

What is API and what is API platform?

API stands for ‘Application Programming Interface’.

An API is a set of programming code that enables data transmission between one software product and another. It also contains the terms of this data exchange.

Types of API

✅ Public API

✅ Partner API

✅ Private or internal API

Explanation 

✅ Public API

Available to any third-party developers.

API’s are publicly available to developers and other users with minimal restriction. They may require registration, use of an API key or OAuth, or may be completely open.

✅ Partner API

Partner APIs are APIs exposed by/to the strategic business partners.

They are not available publicly and need of some specific entitlement for accessing them.  

✅ Private or internal API

Private APIs, are hidden from external users and only exposed by internal systems.

Internal APIs are not meant for consumption outside of the company but rather for use across different internal development teams for better productivity and reuse of services.

How API works?

What an API Also Provides Is a Layer of Security ?

 

Your phone’s facts is in no way fully exposed to the server, and likewise the server is never fully uncovered to your cellphone. Instead, every communicates with small packets of information, sharing only that which is important—like ordering takeout. You inform the eating place what you would really like to eat, they inform you what they want in return after which, in the end, you get your meal.

APIs have become so valuable that they contain a huge a part of many enterprise’ revenue. Major agencies like Google, eBay, Salesforce.Com, Amazon, and Expedia are only some of the agencies that make money from their APIs. What the “API financial system” refers to is that this marketplace of APIs.

The Modern API

Over the years, what an “API” is has often defined any type of time-honored connectivity interface to an software. More recently, however, the current API has taken on a few characteristics that make them extraordinarily precious and useful:

• Modern APIs adhere to standards (normally HTTP and REST), which can be developer-friendly, effortlessly reachable and understood broadly
• They are treated extra like products than code. They are designed for intake for unique audiences (e.G., cellular developers), they're documented, and they are versioned in a manner that customers could have sure expectations of its renovation and lifecycle.
• Because they're a whole lot more standardized, they have a far more potent area for protection and governance, in addition to monitored and managed for overall performance and scale
• As every other piece of productized software, the cutting-edge API has its very own software program improvement lifecycle (SDLC) of designing, checking out, building, handling, and versioning.  Also, contemporary APIs are nicely documented for consumption and versioning.

API specifications/protocols

The goal of API specifications is to standardize data exchange between web services. In this case, standardization means the ability of diverse systems, written in different programming languages and/or running on different OSs, or using different technologies, to seamlessly communicate with each other.

Several API specifications are in place

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

Web APIs may additionally adhere to aid trade standards based on a Remote Procedure Call. This protocol specifies the interplay between client-server based applications. One software (patron) requests records or functionality from any other application (server), positioned in every other computer on a community, and the server sends the required reaction.

RPC is likewise called a subroutine or characteristic call. One of two methods to put into effect a far flung manner call is SOAP.

Service Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

SOAP is a light-weight protocol for exchanging based information in a decentralized, allotted environment, in keeping with the definition through Microsoft that evolved it. Generally talking, this specification includes the syntax policies for request and reaction messages sent via net programs. APIs that comply with the concepts of SOAP allow XML messaging among systems thru HTTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for moving mail.

Extensible markup language (XML) is a easy and really bendy text format extensively used for records storage and trade over the internet or other networks. XML defines a hard and fast of regulations for encoding files in a layout that each people and machines can study. The markup language is a collection of symbols that may be placed within the textual content to delineate and label the elements of the textual content document. XML text files incorporate self-descriptive tags of data objects, which makes them easily readable.

An example of a SOAP XML request call in Google Ad Manager. Source: Google Ad Manager
SOAP is mostly used with enterprise web-based software to ensure high security of transmitted data. SOAP APIs are preferred among providers of payment gateways, identity management and CRM solutions, as well as financial and telecommunication services. PayPal’s public API is one of the commonly known SOAP APIs. It’s also frequently used for legacy system support.

API documentation

No matter what number of opportunities for creating or extending software program merchandise API offers, it would remain an unusable piece of code if developers didn’t understand a way to paintings with it. Well-written and dependent API documentation that explains how to effectively use and integrate an API in an smooth-to-recognise manner will make a developer glad and eager to propose the API to friends.

The API documentation is a reference guide with all wanted records approximately the API, such as functions, classes, return kinds, and arguments.

Numerous content factors make true documentation, which include:

• a quick begin manual
• authentication information
• factors for every API call (request)
• examples of each request and return with a response description, errors messages, and so forth.
• Samples of code for famous programmatic languages like Python, Java, JavaScript, or PHP;
• tutorials
• SDK examples (if SDKs are available) illustrating a way to access the aid, and many others.

Documentation can be static and interactive. The latter allows for trying out APIs and notice go back outcomes and commonly includes  columns: human and device. The human column incorporates API descriptions, and the device one has a console to make calls and contains information that clients and servers may be interested in when checking out the API.

Human and machine columns in the documentation Code examples on the machine column (right) after a user clicked for an action (“Get all employees”). Source: AMIS

Generation is the process of documenting APIs by developers and technical writers. The specialists may use API documentation solutions (i.e., Swagger tools, Postman, Slate, or ReDoc) to unify documentation structure and design.

What is API Example?

Here are some examples of famous APIs that use exceptional protocols and specifications. Check their documentation to get greater records and references.

✅ Google Maps. 

It isn't any mystery that Google is most of the tech giants, and that they have set the requirements within the manner other businesses function. Most web sites which have an integrated map are using the Google Maps APIs. For example, Google’s Directions API uses an HTTP request to return XML or JSON-formatted instructions among geolocations.

✅ Vulkan.

Vulkan is a pass-platform API that works at the working gadget level. It allows builders to create first-rate, actual-time pics in programs and drives the communique among an utility and graphical processing unit. Check Vulkan API documentation in case you’re involved.

✅ Skyscanner Flight Search.

 Skyscanner is a metasearch platform that we could tourists search for flights on the first-rate fees from Skyscanner’s database of fees. Also, Skyscanner offers its associate companions with RESTful API assisting each XML and JSON because the records change formats. In order to enhance safety, they encourage partners to use best HTTPS protocol to make requests. You may additionally test their documentation here.

✅ WeatherAPI. 

This is a unfastened geolocation and weather information provider with masses of different APIs ranging from the weather forecast, IP research, sports activities, astronomy, geolocation, and time area. It affords get entry to to geodata and climate using a JSON/XML RESTful API. Developers can use either HTTP or HTTPS to request the API. They offer developers with designated documentation on a way to use all in their APIs.

✅ Sabre Air Availability.

This is a Sabre SOAP API used to search for flights and the corresponding availability records for given dates, origins, and destinations. Since it is a SOAP API, it makes use of XML because the statistics alternate format, and HTTP or HTTPS protocols for requests.

✅ Yelp API. 

This is a GraphQL API that offers users hints and opinions of the great restaurants, activities, nightlife, and more. It uses the HTTP request approach to get entry to information from the servers. The API connects to information resources through endpoints, which builders can add to their apps. It makes use of JSON because the data trade format.

Conclusion 

The function of APIs is appreciably more if we observe it not most effective from the software program development attitude but additionally from the commercial enterprise collaboration perspective. These system-readable interfaces for aid change are like transport offerings that paintings below the hood and allow that wished technological connectivity. According to the Fourth State of API Integration Report of 2020, eighty three percent of individuals locate API integration “essential” to their agencies and IT infrastructures.

In this regard, the two important responsibilities for choice makers and developers are to select the API that works for a organization’s unique enterprise needs and understand the way to effectively use it.