As part of my Operating Systems course, my professor was teaching us about API and being the obedient student that I am, I didn't listen to a single word that came out of his mouth. I just looked it up for a test tomorrow and here's my simplest definition of it.
API stands for Application Programming Interface but let's not dive too deeply into the name. The best example of an API being used in our daily life is delivery or cab based applications which make use of the google maps "API". Okay, but what does this mean?
Let's take Uber, for example, they don't have a satellite in space to provide you with the coordinates of your driver instead they use Google Maps. But, Google can't simply give Uber access to its database or whatever data they may request. So, Google puts a mediator, a messenger or a security layer in between which is called Google Maps API.
If Uber requires some geographical data, it will request the API which will then take the same request to the system. The data is provided by the system to the API if the request is valid otherwise the API returns an error.
Think of API as a personal assistant who takes your queries to his boss and returns the requested files if access is granted.
Another important thing is that an API will never tell you the "HOW" of the system but only the "WHAT". Think of it this way, the system has the recipe to create a sandwich but the API will only return the readymade sandwich and not the recipe. The "sign up with google" pop-ups that you see whenever you stumble upon a new site are also an application of API.
API also adds an additional security layer through API keys which is a safety code that the system provides its developers. These help us monitor and track the activity of that particular key.
If this helped you in your learning in any way, let me know in the comments. Correct me if I am wrong anywhere.
Thank you (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥