Just as a user interface enables communication between humans and machines, an API enables communication between different software applications.

APIs are valuable because they allow you to make use of functions that already exist in other software (or the infrastructure that already exists in other platforms) so that you are not constantly “reinventing the wheel”.

API is an acronym for “Application Programming Interface”. The API is an interface that a software uses to access data, a server software or other applications, and this may be a piece of code or as we know it today, a web service.

As stated in Tic Portal, APIs ensure that requests from one application are efficiently communicated to the other. But how do they do it? The requesting application gets access to the information or functionality of the other. The same portal highlights that one of the main advantages “of an API connection with respect to a real integration, is that no information is exchanged about the internal implementation (code) of both systems”.

In line with what Cequens indicates, an API is also described “as a software-to-software interface that does not require human intervention.”

API Types

According to TechTarget, there are four basic types of APIs. Depending on the needs of your company, you may need a development from these 4 types.

● Private APIs or Internal APIs : These are published internally for use by company developers to improve their own products and services. Private APIs are not exposed to third parties.

● Public APIs or Open APIs: These are published and can be used by third parties. There are no restrictions on these APIs.

● Partner API: can be used by specific parties with whom the company agrees to share data. Partner APIs are used within business relationships. Specifically, to integrate software between associated companies.

● Composite APIs combined with other APIs: Used to tackle related or interdependent tasks. It can improve speed and performance compared to individual APIs.

Communication API: Ideal for companies

Communication APIs define what interactions are possible between servers and business software. Therefore, using a communication API is essential in the apification of any company.

According to AltexSoft, these APIs provide a data transfer between web-based systems that represent the client-server architecture. These APIs provide web application requests and server responses using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

Developers can use communication APIs to extend the functionality of their applications or sites. For example, the Pinterest API includes tools for adding user Pinterest data, such as boards or pins, to a website. The Google Maps API  is used to add a map with the location of an organization.

The main solutions guaranteed by Apification

In sum, apification aims to avoid unnecessary iterations when you want to automate business processes. According to Robotized, business software can become inefficient if it is not simplified in an increasingly automated ecosystem and in the cloud. So what is apification for? Here are three ideas:

Internal and external data communication:

Data communication remains one of the most critical “bottlenecks” in any organization. Apification “makes data sharing fast, immediate, and above all consistent, as you adjust your systems to optimize them.”

Security:

Apification enables better data management between internal and external systems. Therefore, it allows the company to implement a more consistent and strict handling of the data. If the company wants to modernize, it must consider new barriers between data and people inside and outside its organization for the protection of this same data.

Multiple Tasks:

APIs can perform various tasks. Some examples are: sending an instruction from the programmer to a software and receiving its response, inserting content in web services, reusing application codes thanks to the network connection of the programs, controlling the access of other programmers, among others.

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