API Development: A Complete Guide to Build Good API

APIs are those unsung heroes that play a significant part in winning the war, but they are not applauded for their efforts. Fast forward to today, APIs play a pivotal role in the development industry and help applications run smoothly, process with speed, and deliver results.

Expanded as Application Programming Interfaces, APIs help integrate third-party solutions, software, and systems with an application. And why do they do so? API function to exchange data between two entities. With so many third-party applications being developed for specific purposes, APIs are required to fulfill modern-day development.

Moreover, in a widely changing environment, APIs help build solutions that are adaptable, scalable, and resilient. Let’s explore some more about APIs in detail, how to build an API, and what are the best API development practices. Stay tuned to read an amazing guide to developing API.

What is an API?

Application Programming Interface (API) is a standalone software representing a set of instructions and standards. These instructions help utilize the features or services of another application, software, or platform.

The purpose of building an API is to increase the scope of services and improve the way applications or software communicate with each other.

Here’s the best example of an API.

We all, at one point (even if some people deny it), have played Candy Crush. Now when you see the “Connect to Facebook” button on Candy Crush, it integrates your game with your Facebook profile.

If you are playing from your phone, the game will automatically connect with your Facebook account without having to enter the login details. That is the power of using an API.

It speeds up the required services without having to let the user get distracted or close an application.

So, whenever it is about enabling communication between two applications, an API is used. It lets two software or application exchange data with each other to improve the user experience.

Developers can build an API for the application or solution they are building separately or use existing ones. Here their work is to connect the applications and make it possible for them to exchange data.

Another example of API working is when you choose to make an account on a website with Gmail or Facebook. This is called on-click sign-up. As you only have to click once from the given options, and your account on the website will be created instantly.

How Does an API Work?

To understand the background process of an API, we need to take an example. Let’s say you want to book a hotel and visit a website that supposedly shows all the hotels in the area you are searching for aligning with the dates you require.

After going to the website, you will enter the details of your requirements. You will enter the number of visitors, date of check-in, check-out, and the dates on which you will be visiting.

After submitting the details, you will get a list of all the hotels having vacant rooms during the selected dates. It will also show the price, additional services, and details of the same.

An API is used here to collect data from the website’s database and present the best possible options. Here the motive of the API is to collect and provide the required information to the users in a streamlined manner.

The API collects all this data either from the database or the hotel websites. Here the hotel website and the website you are using for booking act as endpoints.

To fully understand the working of an API development process, there are a few terminologies that you must understand.

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