TransIP makes domain and VPS services available via a REST API. In this article we explain the basics of what an API is in general.
API
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a collection of definitions which allows a program or script to easily communicate with another program or script. The goal of an API is to make programming easier by hiding underlying functionality / code behind an API definition.
API communication usually consists of three parties:
- Een user
- Een client
- Een server
A user initiates the connection using an API call and then sends a request (an HTTP request) to which a response follows (an HTTP response).
An often used example is going to a restaurant. You place your order with the server (an API request where the name of the food is the API definition) who then communicates your order to a cook. You don't see what the cook then does (the underlying functionality behind an API); you only see the result back in the form of the ordered meal (the API response).
This concludes our brief introduction into what an API is. In this article we then explain what a REST API is (our API is also RESTful).
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