All about API Technology
                     ALL ABOUT API 
TECHNOLOGY
What is an API?
• API is the acronym for Application Programming Interface, which is a software 
intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other.
•  Each time you use an app like Facebook, send an instant message, or check the 
weather on your phone, you’re using an API.
Source : Commercial tools
Components
• Application programming interfaces consist of two components:
– Technical specification describing the data exchange options between 
solutions with the specification done in the form of a request for processing.
– Software interface written to the specification that represents it
Source : Angler Technology
Types of APIs
• There are many different types of APIs for operating systems, applications or 
websites. 
• Windows, for example, has many API sets that are used by system hardware and 
applications — when you copy and paste text from one application to another, it is 
the API that allows that to work.
Source : Commercial tools
Utilization
• When you use an application on your mobile phone, the application connects to 
the Internet and sends data to a server.
• The server then retrieves that data, interprets it, performs the necessary actions 
and sends it back to your phone. 
Source : Commercial tools
Popular API Examples
• Google Maps API: Google Maps APIs lets developers embed Google Maps on 
WebPages using a JavaScript or Flash interface. 
• YouTube APIs: YouTube API: YouTube APIs include the YouTube Analytics API, 
YouTube Data API, YouTube Live Streaming API, YouTube Player APIs and others.
Source : Nordic layer
Popular API Examples
• Flickr API: The Flickr API is used by developers to access the Flick photo sharing 
community data. 
• Amazon Product Advertising API: It gives developers access to Amazon's product 
selection and discovery functionality to advertise Amazon products to monetize a 
website.
Source : Toutube
Implementations
• Twitter APIs: Twitter offers two APIs. 
– The REST API allows developers to access core Twitter data and 
– Search API provides methods for developers to interact with Twitter Search 
and trends data.
Source : Firstpost
Provides Layer of Security
• APIs have become so valuable that they comprise a large part of many business’ 
revenue. 
• Major companies like Google, eBay, Salesforce.com, Amazon, and Expedia are just 
a few of the companies that make money from their APIs. 
Source : Forum Systems
Modern API
• Modern APIs adhere to standards that are developer-friendly, easily accessible and 
understood broadly
• They are treated more like products than code, designed for consumption for 
specific audiences.
Source : Teks Mobile
Conclusion
• Modern APIs are well documented for consumption and versioning.
• They are more standardized, have a much stronger discipline for security and 
governance, as well as monitored and managed for performance and scale.
Source : Commercial tools