What is API?
Also called: Application Programming Interface
The short answer
An API is a defined way for one piece of software to ask another for data or actions, such as a site asking a payment service to charge a card.
API, explained
Web APIs are usually reached over HTTPS and answer in JSON. They let a site use maps, payments, email and AI without building those systems itself.
Keys for private APIs must stay on the server: anything shipped to the browser can be read by visitors.
Questions people ask about API
What is API?
An API is a defined way for one piece of software to ask another for data or actions, such as a site asking a payment service to charge a card.
Related terms
The back-end is the server-side part of a site that visitors never see: databases, logins, payments, business logic and the APIs the front-end calls.
JSONJSON is a lightweight text format for structured data, readable by people and machines, and the standard way web APIs send information.
WebhookA webhook is an automatic message one service sends to your URL when something happens, like a payment provider announcing a completed order.
WebsiteA website is a collection of linked web pages published under one domain name, stored on a server and viewed in a web browser.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.