APIs - The Connectors Making Communication Between Mobile Apps Possible

Ever wondered how MakeMyTrip, Yatra.com and other such sites/apps let you book a train ticket without opening the official Railway website? How Candy Crush enables you to 'sign up' via your Facebook account without entering your credentials? How is Zomato able to provide you with the facility to book a table in your local restaurant?

Well, this all magic is possible due to APIs.

An API (Application Platform Interface) is basically a set of instructions or standards that let a software/app talk to another app/software existing on the same platform and share their features, services and data gathered. In a layman’s language, APIs help two mobile applications communicate with each other and provide us third-party services efficiently.

While many people might have heard this term for the first time, an API plays a pivotal role in the efficient functioning of a mobile application. It eliminates the need to gather and store user data individually, which not only cut down the developer’s efforts but also speed up the app performance, ultimately leading to a better user experience.

Presently, there are thousands and thousands of APIs existing in the market for providing exquisite third-party services on mobile applications. However, there’s still a considerable gap in utilizing the advantages of APIs.

Why?

The prime reason behind the prevailing gap between the demand and availability of APIs is an inadequate information about the features of an effective API and practices to adopt in the API development process. (You can read about those features and practices here).

How, do you think, can we fill this gap? What is your strategy to ensure that people get a taste of the effective APIs? Share your views in the comment section below.