An acronym well-known by software developers, API, in a simple way, is the integration between systems with different languages.
When we use a system or even an application, we often have no idea how many different tools are connected, enabling the exchange of data to generate the expected result. And, when we say “tools”, we mean systems with different languages that, by themselves, do not interact. They require a mechanism to integrate them.
Think, for example, about an app dedicated to the private urban transport service, making it possible to call a driver who is nearby. The app also sets the itinerary, shows the cost of the service and the time left to get to the destination.
For all that information to be displayed in minutes on your cell phone, it is necessary to blend some systems, such as driver registration, geolocation, maps, calculation of time, distance, cost, among others. Each of them has a different programming language, in addition to being on different servers. How to mix these in a single application: the answer about the driver, the arrival time, and cost in the shortest possible time?
The answer is simple: through API (Application Programming Interface), responsible for this exchange of information between software programs and resulting in a response. The same is true for many types of applications, such as weather forecasting and complex corporate systems.
How it works
Through a set of standards and protocols, API establishes communication between software programs, platforms, and databases, allowing developers to create new systems without having to do a specific programming code for this.
The Programming Interface (API) also plays a key role in system security, since it can be used to block access or limit permissions to software and hardware data.
API types
According to the architecture, API is classified as SOAP, RPC, WebSocket, and REST, and can be arranged according to its purpose:
Private
Used to connect systems and data within an enterprise.
Public
It can be used by anyone, with or without authorization (login) and associated costs.
Partnership
Aimed at authorized developers to help projects made in partnership between companies.
Compound
To supply more complex systems, it combines two or more types of API.
No-code
Among many benefits of building a system or application on the no-code platform Arkeyva, one of them is, in addition to not having to know and type lines of code, the systems integration.
Arkeyva, a platform for developing 100% no-code digital solutions, has a browser-based editor compatible with all browsers, facilitating the connection of flows using nodes such as API, Web Services, IoT Devices, and hardware.
With the no-code creation platform Arkeyva, anyone can develop a system or app by integrating different types of services and/or databases. You can try it for free to see how easy it is to create with Arkeyva.
Are you interested in knowing more about it? Would you like to ask some questions? Contact us!
