API: History and Common Use Cases

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 A gateway that allows third-party programs to enter and access the data and functionalities of another program.


In the year 2000, Roy Fielding's dissertation popularized REST (Representational State Transfer), the backbone for modern APIs.

REST is an architectural style that has become widely adopted for building web APIs due to its simplicity, scalability, and compatibility with the web.

Much like a language translator helps two people who speak different languages understand each other, an API, or Application Programming Interface, translates requests from one software system into a language that another system can understand.

Now, imagine checking your phone and seeing the weather forecast magically pop up on your home screen! That's a real-life example of an API in action. 

It's like your phone asking a weather service nicely for the current weather info, and then showing it to you without you having to open a separate app.

With that being said here are some other use cases of APIs:

Social Media Integration

APIs allow your app to connect to social media, letting users log in with ease, share content and grab user info (with their consent, of course) directly from your app.


Payment Gateways

They help businesses easily add online payment methods to their websites or apps, so users can shop for their loved ones this Christmas without worries.


Maps and Geolocation Services

They let apps display maps, guide lost souls, discover the nearest burger joint, and sprinkle geolocation magic in every app like a digital compass.


IoT (Internet of Things)

They make it possible for you to say "Okay Google, turn on my smart lights and make it blue" .



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