API is not an "interface" in the ordinary sense
API is written in English as "application
programming interface". But if you think this "interface" as in
the phrases "window interface", "touch interface",
"iOS interface", you have misunderstood. API is an "interface" between the software with the
software. API is a way for the
software (OS, applications, modules in enterprise systems...) to communicate
with each other and leverage each other's capabilities.
API is the coupling among software components
For
example, across all computing
devices, the operating system is the only software capable of accessing the
hardware device. Therefore, the operating system will have to provide the API to write files, read files, collect
and transmit data from the graphics card, collect and transmit data from the
network card... When you need to burn disk, the application will call the
corresponding API of the operating
system. This ensures the
application developers do not need to learn binary code and sophisticated
principles to interact with the hard drive.
Or,
you can use your Facebook account to log in to a lot of sites that are not
controlled by Facebook. Users can use their Facebook personal information on
these pages, the only thing this social network to do is create an API to log in Facebook account. Each
time you click on "Login with Facebook" on Instagram, WhatsApp or
Quora, the site / app will "call" to the API of Facebook. Facebook will perform identity authentication.
In
fact, today saying to the software progress is talking to the API. The clouds such as Microsoft
Azure, Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud Platform are all offered
via the API. The popular software of
Apple like HealthKit, HomeKit or all of the SDK (software development kit) in
general is most importantly mainly API.
If you understand API, you do not
have to confuse when catching the term "SDK" again, because each SDK
includes APIs available and
developers can create a single product in a easier way. For example, SDK HealthKit
has many APIs to develop health
applications easily. Other components of the SDK as the development tools, the
documentation are only secondary to the API.
In
short, if you never start coding, the information about the API will never directly affect you. But
they have meaning more important than all finished products: it can be said
that despite the lack of Windows, Android or iOS, humanity could still survive.
However, without API the world will undoubtedly
stop spinning. The APIs of the
operating system are the basis for the explosion of software. APIs of modules in the enterprise
system are the basis for economic development. The breakthrough APIs, such as Microsoft's API, will elevate the quality of
applications and software services to the next level.
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