Application programming interface: a defined way for software systems to exchange requests and information.
An API sets out how one piece of software can use data or functions supplied by another. The software making a request follows the interface’s rules, and the receiving software processes it and returns an appropriate response. Web APIs carry these exchanges across a network, while other APIs operate within a program or device. An integration uses such interfaces to connect systems or automate a workflow. Knowing an API therefore means understanding the requests it accepts and the information it returns, alongside the rules governing access.
In job listings
Watchfinder & Co. required a Software Developer in West Malling to work with cloud message APIs and implement push notifications using AWS. This gives the term a concrete development context: the role involved using interfaces supplied by cloud services as part of delivering messaging functionality. Search local jobs for “api”.
