APIs 101: How do APIs Work?

#1 Know the technology.

Even if there's an implementation partner in the picture, it's best practice to know the technologies you're exploring. APIs come in many different shapes and sizes, some are free, some are open-source, and some are regulated.

If we think of the internet as a complex web of remote servers, rapidly transmitting data to fulfill user requests, we can think of an API as the part that intercepts requests and tells the server how to respond.

Say we have two applications, App A and App B. App B requests access to App A's API documentation. App A may evaluate how they will benefit from allowing App B to access a portion of their database. If App A sees a benefit, they'll hand over the code to App B.

Now, App A's API maintains a continuous conversation with App B, and the two cater to a shared user base, introducing a new level of convenience for the consumer caught between them.

Every time you log in to a website using your social media profile or pay for an order with PayPal, it's through an API. They're convenience layers.

#2 Know the trends.

There is some liability with an API. Both parties are forfeiting some control, for the app integrating the API, they're subjecting their system to a foreign invader and the API owner is opening up their brand to a level of dissonance. Will the API user uphold the branding standards of the API owner? Will the API owner privative the API one day, cutting connections with the API users and eliminating that convenience layer.

Back in August, Twitter decided to disable certain features for third-party apps using their API. Now access to push notifications and automatic timelines come with excessive monthly fees. For apps already dependent on the robust set of free Twitter API features, privatization represented a huge roadblock in their user experience. But what could they do about it? Twitter owns their API, and they can change the rules at any time.

There is an inherent vulnerability with API integrations. The rules and functionality can change, and you will have no say in the new direction. It's like you're renting an apartment and the landlord decides to renovate.

Remaining on top of these trends is paramount to a successful API ecosystem. API trends must be tracked on a case-by-case scale, as well as aerially. Aerially, we know interconnectivity is King right now, and this trend is likely to continue.

#3 Know your target market.

How relevant is the data the API provides to your target market? To know this, you must first define your intended user and outline how that intended user will interact with the new connection.

Will it be an additive to their overall experience or a hindrance?

Yelp augments their information with a maps system native to the device its server is accessed through. For requests made from a web browser, Yelp uses the Google Maps API to show the location of whatever business the end-user is searching. On iOS mobile browsers, Yelp switches out Google Maps for Apple's Maps API.

In switching between APIs and integrating with a localization system, Yelp acknowledges the value that a visual brings for end-user experience. Their intended is on-the-go and searching for information on local establishments.

What does Chetu know About APIs?

Everything there is to know. We can engineer them, we can integrate them, we can build a project plan that will create something tangible from your vision.

Whatever you need, we're here as a backend partner. Business owners engaging with APIs can be segmented into two categories: the builders and the users. You are either trying to implement or open your platform up to a larger audience through informational exchange. Either way, the end result is always the same: a conversation between formerly isolated systems.

Because we thoroughly enjoy our interconnectivity, APIs are more mainstream than ever. Because our interconnectivity is evolving, inevitably, so are APIs. Odds are your business could benefit from an added data stream. So, when you're ready to propel your legacy system forward, let's get started on that API.