An API also referred to as an application programming interface, is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. In other words, an API is a messenger that delivers your request to the provider that you’re requesting it from and then delivers the response back to you.
So how do these APIs work?
APIs are basically the postmen for the IT World. They receive data from the sender and deliver it to the receiver. Take a very common example of booking your tickets for a vacation, Now imagine you open up your preferred travel app and get to surfing through the app or the website for the best prices possible, Now when you book a flight you search for certain things like departure city and date, a return city and date, cabin class, and other variables like your meal, your seat, or baggage requests.
Here at the same time while using the app’s interface, the app’s interface is communicating with the airline’s website servers to get you the information that you require for booking a flight.
Benefits of APIs
Applications become more modular with APIs. APIs allow developers to benefit from other applications' expertise. The development of an application no longer requires organizations to reinvent the wheel when it comes to authentication, communication, payment processing, and maps.
Instead, developers can leverage the seamless plug-in capabilities and functionality of APIs. APIs allow applications and system components to communicate with each other on internal networks as well as over the Internet.
Businesses use them to make internal applications and services available over the Internet to customers, partners, suppliers, and other third parties.
How do APIs help businesses?
Why should Businesses go for an API strategy?
We live in a digitalized world, technology has officially taken over our entire existence. Businesses and startups now have started to explore the power of tech, and how far it goes, a business model now is incomplete without a website or an application. Enterprises should develop API strategies that include both public and private APIs. Through the web, mobile, and social apps, enterprise businesses can engage and connect with their customers when they release public APIs that power consumer-facing applications. In addition, businesses can streamline operations and serve customers better by developing private APIs for their employees and partners. As more and more businesses create and incorporate APIs, developing and executing successful API strategies has become increasingly critical for innovative businesses.
APIs help businesses
An effective API can give existing and potential customers new reasons to interact with a business and connect with it on a personal level — and share their experiences with others. As an example, take the hypothetical case of a national auto insurance provider. Over the years, as part of its normal business operations and planning, it has assembled and maintained comprehensive, detailed, and up-to-date data on the quality and condition of local roads all across the country. By making this previously internal data publicly accessible through an API, the company unleashes the creativity of developers and related businesses to devise new uses for the data. Developers create apps that recommend driving routes based in part on road quality. Civic groups develop apps that empower citizens to band together and petition local officials for better funding of transit infrastructure. The insurance company itself gives potential customers a way to get rate quotes — whenever they want, and from wherever they happen to be — through web and mobile apps. Simply exposing this previously isolated and hidden data through a public API has given the insurance company a powerful way to extend its reach to thousands of new customers — who now regularly connect with the company in a more personal, meaningful way. This API strategy has allowed the company the opportunity to improve customer engagement as well as create new products and new channels that can be used in increasingly innovative ways.
Operational efficiency
Through web and mobile apps, the insurance company can also develop private APIs for its own employees to use - for example, to provide its sales team with information that will help them provide accurate quotes more efficiently while on the road. In addition, another API might make it easier for the company's claims department to process customer claims more quickly, more conveniently, and with fewer errors. A business can improve operational efficiency and customer service by implementing an internal API strategy.
Challenges of developing and integrating APIs for business
Over time, most businesses deploy an ever more complicated mix of technologies, computer systems, applications, and processes to solve their organizational challenges. These legacy systems become increasingly inefficient as they age, in part because they often are not interoperable with newer technologies. A business that depends on such legacy systems will usually encounter problems when attempting to add newer software and services, such as SaaS applications and modern APIs. Sometimes these problems can be addressed with point-to-point integrations among existing systems. In time, however, these custom point-to-point integrations create multiple, fragile, and complicated dependencies that cost businesses customers and resources — and are by nature prone to failure.
Another challenge for businesses in developing their API strategy is the lack of access to effective tools for designing, testing, and monitoring those APIs and a vibrant developer community that can provide feedback and insights into an API’s design and features. These are critical factors when a business is developing well-crafted, engaging APIs that will be widely adopted.
Types of APIs
It is very rare that an organization will ever require an API out of the blue so having a perfect strategy for using an API is a must. There are at least three categories of APIs:
An organization's core systems of record can be accessed using system APIs. APIs can unlock data from critical systems such as ERP, customer and billing systems, and proprietary databases.
A process API interacts with and shapes data within a single system or across systems, breaking down data silos. For a specific business purpose, Process APIs combine data and orchestrate multiple System APIs. Examples of this include creating a 360-degree view of the customer, order fulfillment, and shipment status.
Experience APIs: Experience APIs provide a business context for the data and processes that were unlocked and established with System and Process APIs. Experience APIs expose the data to be consumed by its intended audience — such as mobile applications, internal portals for customer data, etc.
Once you have determined what kind of API you would like to choose and to what use you will put it it is time to figure out who will be handling these APIs. There are at least three types of APIs on the basis of how they are managed and who they are accessed by:
External APIs
External APIs can be accessed by third parties (developers, partners, etc.) that are external to the organization. They often make an organization's data and services easily accessible on a self-service basis by developers around the world who are looking to create innovative applications and integrations.
An example of an open API is the Google Maps API that is used across third-party applications (such as ridesharing and food delivery apps) to enable location tracking and mapping.
Internal APIs
Internal APIs are the opposite of open APIs in that they are inaccessible to external consumers and only available to an organization’s internal developers. Internal APIs can enable enterprise-wide initiatives from the adoption of DevOps and microservice architectures to legacy modernization and digital transformation. The use and reuse of these APIs can enhance an organization's productivity, efficiency, and agility.
An example of a reusable internal API is if a call center team created a customer information API used in a call center application to access their name, contact information, account info, etc. That team can then reuse this same API in a customer-facing web application or mobile application.
Partner APIs
Partner APIs fall somewhere in the middle of internal and external APIs. They are APIs that are accessed by others outside the organization with exclusive permissions. Usually, this special access is afforded to specific third-parties to facilitate a strategic business partnership.
A common use case of a partner API is when two organizations want to share data with each other — such as a county’s health department and a hospital within that county. A partner API would be set up so each organization has access to the necessary data with the right set of credentials and permissions.
When you are building a software application, you will have to choose a programming language as well as an API to develop it. You might have gone through a number of APIs and still find it hard to decide which one to go for. Here we have created a comparison between different APIs so that you can find out the pros and cons of the different APIs. Hope you find it helpful to make a decision.
Apigee v Kong- A view into how they are different?
What is Apigee?
APIs are organized and developed using Apigee. Apigee provides a proxy layer to abstract your end-service APIs, as well as security, quotas, analytics, rate-limiting, and many other features. Businesses can move into the digital world by using this Apigee API.
What is Kong?
Kong serves as middleware between API-centric applications and calculating clients as an open-source API portal. By using plugins, users can extend API functionality easily. A portal to APIs can be built with Kong, organized, and scalable by developers.
Differences between Apigee v Kong
APIGEE | KONG |
Highly measurable and sage API management platform | Very easy to maintain |
Is categorized in API tools | Is categorized as Microservices tools |
Can be created easily by those who have knowledge of basic fundamentals | Is a little complicated as there is some lagging connection capacity that exists |
Is a stable portal with automatic installation and appoint proxy, traffic, and security control features | It is a favorite portal for developers and designers because it is excellent for initial adaptors that boost the company growth |
API management software Apigee Edge is effective and easy to use. Alternatively, Kong is an open-source API control software program that helps you increase associate networks and create new business scopes.
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