API stands for Application Programming Interface. API allows applications to interact with external software, operating system, or servers using its own set of functions. Yeah, I know it's pretty confusing 😅. But this is kind of the same general definition that you have read across multiple web pages. The statement is logically correct, but it's confusing for beginners and as a beginner, it confused me for a while.

But don't worry. Let's try to understand this with an example:

Let's say we are using any web application, how do we use it? Through GUI. GUI itself is an interface that uses Graphical objects like buttons, text fields, and scrolling to interact and make things easy for you to understand visually. Similarly, try to think of API as an interface, but here in this case the user doesn't interact with the API but rather the application itself interacts with that API. So this API has endpoints that connect one application with another.

Earlier I had a misconception about APIs that it is kind of a backend that helps provide results on the searched query. Partially true, but it kind of provides a middleware between the two applications. Also, an API is used in languages to provide different features, like in javascript there are APIs to use the camera, Bluetooth, audio and many more.

Another thing to know is that API comes with its fair advantages. Like it separates the client application from server logic so they can be embedded in any application easily. Like API that is written java could serve javascript-based applications easily and the integration is seamless.

I hope that you have got a fair share of understanding of what exactly is an API. I will make more such blog posts until then, happy reading 😊.