Download - Api in Simple Terms
API in Simple Terms
Amir Mohtasebi (@amirmohtasebi)
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What is API?- Application Programmable Interface
- It’s a contract between applications allowing them to talk to each other
- This contract is like English language. Everyone knows it.
- API input/output is machine readable
- The API we are talking about is mainly Web API, that is over the internet (rather than a device like iPhone)
ANY Weather
APP
MetServiceAPI
GET /Weather/Wellington
(Give me current Wellington Weather)
{ Min: 8, Max: 10, Description: “Partly Cloudy”
}
TMJ API Example: https://api.trademe.co.nz/v1/Categories/5000.xml
Traditional Way of Building Applications
Image Credit: CA APIAcademy
New Way: Decouple Data from UI
Image Credit: CA APIAcademy
Integration Opportunities are Everywhere
Image Credit: CA APIAcademy
Benefits:Allows us to create new:
- Applications (Mobile Apps, etc.)
- Revenue Streams
- Businesses
Access Models- Public
- To support someone else’s product- Goal: Growth and Adoption (e.g. Twitter and all the third-party clients it has)- Governance: Control over API
- Private- To support our own product- Goal: Reduces the cost of integration (Internal Payment Gateway)- Governance: Control over Product
- Partner- Built to support known products- Can be consumed by known entities (Integration with known third-parties)- Goal: Increase growth/reduce cost/use their resources and competitive advantage- Governance: Control over API and relationship
Summary- It is bringing $$ home
- API is an interface/contract between machines so it is as good as it’s documentation
- It helps us to provide value to the community and instead foster innovation, adoption, engagement
- API governance is important to protect our IP
- Open platform beats closed products every single time