API
An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of commands,
functions, protocols, and objects that programmers can use to
create software or interact with an external system.
Think of API as an interface for programs. A UI (User Interface) is an interface
for the user.
- Examples of API: library API (jQuery, Express, JavaScript), or Data request
API like Weather condition API and current time API.
- To make an API request you need to use an HTTP/HTTPS request to external
servers
Say you were going to a restaurant,
we know that there are things that are
on the menu like cakes and desert while
there are raw ingredients in the Kitchen.
The restaurant would not let you go into
the Kitchen to eat ingredients since the
restaurant has certain things that they sell
and let you buy and there are other things that
are off limits, which is similar to data.
Facebook has data on users while the police API
has data on crimes. They all have certain data that
they allow you to access and some data that are not your business.
At a restaurant, you are provided with a menu (API) that
allows to you to choose what you want and what they provide.
For a weather API, they include the temperature,
weather condition, weather image, and pressure
Average Armadillo