API
An Application Programming Interface is a set of rules that allows software components to communicate with each other. APIs define how different software systems interact, what data can be requested, and what responses are returned.
Definition
An Application Programming Interface is a set of rules that allows software components to communicate with each other. APIs define how different software systems interact, what data can be requested, and what responses are returned.
Related Terms
REST API
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing APIs that uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to operate on resources identified by URLs. REST APIs are stateless, cacheable, and widely used for web services.
GraphQL
GraphQL is a query language for APIs that allows clients to request exactly the data they need, nothing more and nothing less. Unlike REST, which returns fixed data structures, GraphQL enables flexible, nested queries in a single request.