Facebook API. Google API. Yahoo API. What is API?? What is this term we see everywhere we go? What is this term that feels as though the web is alien to us?
API simply stands ‘Application Programming Interface’ where ‘interface’ sort of means a ‘portal’ through which you partake upon a task. A simple example of an interface is any window of any software through which you can carry out a process i.e a MS Word Document is an interface through which you can create a document, or to be simple, infrared goggles that allow you to see in the dark. Similarly, an API is an interface (which can be thought of as a ‘tool’, ‘software’ or window’ for simplicity) that allows you to program (or rather create) an Application, where Application is simply a term for web based software or tools. Simple examples are Facebooks Apps such as Mafia Wars, Farmvile or the numerous ‘apps’ found on the iPhone App Store. (NOTE: apps is a term generally used to refer to applications)
Why is an API so important? An API allows programmers (or developers) to develop programs with relative ease. Why is that so? Because an API come with built in features that ensure that a developer does not have to code everything from scratch i.e he/she has a set of ‘building blocks’ upon which he/she can develop an application.
Additionally, various API’s are made with specific platforms (or sites) in mind. Examples are the Facebook API for developing Facebook Apps, Amazon API for developing Amazon Apps and many many more. Therefore, an API provides a platform on which a Developer can create software for a specific ‘system’.
API’s are generally either language independent or dependent. API’s run silently in the background of a website (what is commonly referred to as ‘server side’) and are invisible to normal users. In fact, their primary role is to provide a channel for applications to interact with each other and perform a given task such as ‘auntheticating credit cards in online purchases’. At times API’s are also released as SDK’s (Software Development Kits). This is common with Microsoft, whose Visual Studio SDK is quite popular (and quite large!). API’s may either be web based (such as Facebook API) or non-web based (commonly SDK’s).
Additionally API’s are also used when websites co-ordinate with each other and server side applications to perform a particular function. For example Facebook Connect on other websites works through an API that communicates with the Facebook Platform to allow users to login through their Facebook Accounts. Nowadays, Facebook API is quite common because it allows Developers (people who have working knowledge of programming in PHP) to develop Facebook App’s such as the Mafia Wars Game App, the Social Interview App. In short, the Facebook API acts as both a platform and a framework that allows third party developers to develop Facebook oriented Applications and run them on Facebook.
