What is an API？
Introduction to APIs
An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of rules and tools that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. It acts as an intermediary, enabling seamless data exchange and functionality sharing between systems, without requiring developers to understand the internal workings of each application.
Originally, the term API referred broadly to any interface exposed by a library, framework, or operating system that developers could use to build applications. For example, the Windows API or Java's standard library APIs allowed programs to interact with low-level system functions or prebuilt modules.
However, in modern software development—especially with the rise of cloud services, mobile applications, and frontend/backend separation—the term "API" has become widely associated with Web APIs. These are APIs that are accessed over the internet using HTTP, and they allow applications to request and exchange data between servers and clients in a standardized way.
This shift has made APIs a core part of modern software architecture, enabling everything from weather apps to online payments and social media feeds.
API Workshop focuses primarily on Web APIs, which are the foundation of most modern applications and services. We will explore how they work, how to design them, how to build them, and how to use them effectively. Through hands-on practice and real-world projects, you'll strengthen your programming skills and learn to solve practical problems using APIs.
Originally, the term API referred broadly to any interface exposed by a library, framework, or operating system that developers could use to build applications. For example, the Windows API or Java's standard library APIs allowed programs to interact with low-level system functions or prebuilt modules.
However, in modern software development—especially with the rise of cloud services, mobile applications, and frontend/backend separation—the term "API" has become widely associated with Web APIs. These are APIs that are accessed over the internet using HTTP, and they allow applications to request and exchange data between servers and clients in a standardized way.
This shift has made APIs a core part of modern software architecture, enabling everything from weather apps to online payments and social media feeds.
API Workshop focuses primarily on Web APIs, which are the foundation of most modern applications and services. We will explore how they work, how to design them, how to build them, and how to use them effectively. Through hands-on practice and real-world projects, you'll strengthen your programming skills and learn to solve practical problems using APIs.