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What is an API? ๐Ÿค”

API (Application Programming Interface) is a way for programs to communicate with each other.

Restaurant Analogy ๐Ÿฝ๏ธโ€‹

Think of API as a waiter in a restaurant:

  • You (customer) โ†’ Waiter (API) โ†’ Kitchen (server)
  • Waiter brings back your order

What APIs Doโ€‹

  • Enable data exchange between applications
  • Allow websites to communicate with servers
  • Power mobile apps and web services

Common Examplesโ€‹

  • Weather apps getting data from weather services
  • Login with Google/Facebook
  • Payment processing
  • Map services

REST APIโ€‹

The most common type of web API:

  • Uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
  • Returns data in JSON format
  • Simple and widely used

Try our API Tester to experiment with real APIs!