API

ELI5 — The Vibe Check

An API is like a menu at a restaurant. The kitchen (server) can do a bunch of things, but you can only order what's on the menu. The API is the list of things you're allowed to ask for and exactly how to ask.

Real Talk

An API is a defined set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. It specifies what requests can be made, how to make them, and what responses to expect, abstracting away the underlying implementation.

Show Me The Code

// Calling a weather API
const res = await fetch('https://api.weather.com/v1/current?city=London');
const data = await res.json();

When You'll Hear This

"We need to integrate the Stripe API for payments." / "What does the API return when the user doesn't exist?"