Understand API in less than 10 minutes

API (Application Programming Interface) helps two programs or applications to communicate with each other by providing them with necessary tools and functions.

 

Few Types of API

• Operating Systems API's
• Remote API's 
• Database API's
• Web API's

 

WEB API

API which can be accessed through HTTP Protocol

 

Types of WEB API

• SOAP (Standard Communication Protocol System)
• REST (Representational State Transfer)

 

SOAP API

 It exchanges data in form of messages in XML Format

REST API 

  

It is an architectural style for an API that uses HTTP protocol to send and receive data

 

HTTP methods that are majorly used are

• GET
• POST
• PUT
• PATCH
• DELETE 

Major Data Format in REST API are

• application/json
• application/xml
• application/x-wbe+xml
• application/x-www-form-urlencoded
• multipart/form-data

Endpoints / route

 

In simple words Endpoint in API refers to url/route that is present after base url .

e.g https://google.com/maps

in this example google.com is base url and maps in endpoint

STATUS CODES

• 1xx : Informational
• 2xx : Success
• 3xx : Redirection
• 4xx :  Client Side Error
• 5xx : Server Error

 

JSON 

Modern API's (Rest API) send or receive data in JSON Format/Object.

JSON object is similar to Python Dictionary or KEY and VALUE paired ARRAY

 

Format

 

Key/Value paired array : { 'key':value,'key2':value,'key3':value}

 

Python dictionary: {'key':value,'key1':value,'key2':value}

 

JSON Object : {'key':value,'key2':value,'key3':value}

 Example

      

Key/Value paired array : {'name':'john doe',

                                   'username':'johndoe',

                                   'email':'johndoe@email.com'}

 

Python dictionary : {'name':'john doe',

                            'username':'johndoe',

                            'email':'johndoe@email.com'}

 

JSON Object : {'name':'john doe',

                      'username':'johndoe',

                      'email':'johndoe@email.com'}