Application programming interface facts for kids

An Application Programming Interface (API) is like a special messenger that helps different computer programs talk to each other. Imagine you're playing a video game online. The game needs to know your friend's score or show you a map. It doesn't do all of that itself. Instead, it uses an API to ask another program for that information.

An API is a set of rules and tools that lets one computer program ask another program for information or to do something. It's like a secret language that apps use to share information safely and easily. When you use an app to check the weather, that app uses an API to get the latest weather data from a weather service.

How APIs Work

Think of an API as a waiter in a restaurant. You, the customer, want food. You don't go into the kitchen yourself. You tell the waiter what you want. The waiter then goes to the kitchen (another system), places your order, and brings your food back to you.

In the computer world, your app is the customer, the API is the waiter, and the kitchen is another computer system or database. The API takes your app's request, sends it to the right place, and brings back the information your app needs. This makes it easy for different parts of the internet to work together smoothly.

Different Kinds of APIs

Just like there are different types of messengers, there are different types of APIs:

• Open APIs: These are like public messengers. Anyone can use them to connect their apps to a service. For example, a weather app might use an open API to get weather data from a weather service.
• Partner APIs: These are for special friends or partners. Companies use these APIs to share information only with specific business partners.
• Internal APIs: These APIs are used inside a company. They help different parts of a company's own software talk to each other. They are not available to people outside the company.
• Composite APIs: These are like a super-messenger that can do many tasks at once. Instead of sending several separate requests, a composite API bundles many steps into one single request.

Examples of APIs

Many apps and websites you use every day rely on APIs. For example, when you see a map inside a food delivery app, that app is likely using a mapping API from a company like Google Maps. This API allows the delivery app to show maps and directions without having to build its own mapping system.

Another example is the Twitter API. This API allows other programs to get updates on tweets or even send tweets automatically. Many social media apps and tools use APIs to connect with platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Images for kids

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  A diagram from 1978 proposing the expansion of the idea of the API to become a general programming interface, beyond application programs alone.

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  Although the people who coined the term API were implementing software on a Univac 1108, the goal of their API was to make hardware independent programs possible.

See also

In Spanish: API para niños