Sign up
Log in
Sign up
OctotooGlossaryAPI

API

API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of specifications and rules that define how different programs and components can interact with each other. It is a powerful tool that allows developers to create integration between different applications and services.

Programmers use an API (programming interface) to interact with a particular software or service. Using a set of functions and methods, developers get access to the capabilities of other applications and services, for example, to receive data, send requests, perform operations, and much more.

Examples of API integrations we meet every day in real life:

  • Sending SMS messages. Using the API, developers can integrate the automatic sending of SMS with various services. For example, you receive a message from Novaya poshta that a parcel is waiting for you, and a private entrepreneur receives a tax invoice. All this happens automatically, without the need to manually send each SMS.
  • Integration of social media. Many platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram provide APIs to interact with their services. Developers can use these APIs to automatically publish posts, retrieve user data, analyze activity, and more. For example, you can write a program that automatically posts news from your site to a Facebook page without having to manually post each post.
  • Payment systems. Many payment systems, such as PrivatBank, Monobank, PayPal, provide APIs for processing online payments. Developers can use these APIs to integrate the ability to accept payments into their online stores, apps, and even chatbots.

An API can be represented in various ways, such as web APIs, software libraries, operating systems, etc. They can work on various protocols and data formats, including REST, SOAP, JSON, XML, and others. Importantly, the API requires compliance with certain rules and authorizations that must be followed.

In general, API is an important tool that allows you to create innovative applications, integrate various services and simplify software development. Thanks to the API, developers get the opportunity to interact with already existing solutions, instead of creating them from scratch, and build new functionality on their basis, which contributes to the development of technologies and the improvement of user capabilities.