For effective API performance, it’s imperative to determine the optimal type of API in building/ designing of the architecture. Today,** APIs** have reached a higher sophistication level, which is further classified into types of API to achieve a better understanding of the API concepts.
According to Wikipedia– An application programming interface (API)is a computing interface which defines interactions between multiple software intermediaries. It defines the kinds of calls or requests that can be made, how to make them, the data formats that should be used, the conventions to follow, etc.
APIs have revolutionized the world of technology since first-generation computers. APIs are core programming concepts, which every programmer must learn to achieve higher proficiency levels at work place.
It’s important to understand various** types of API** for API developers that which will work best for a project based on several factors like its intended use case, who will be using and accessing these APIs, and the systems and datasets that need to be connected.
Types Of API
There are 4 main types of APIs(Application Programming Interface) by availability/ Release policies-
- Open APIs (**Public APIs)- ** Publicly available to developers and other users with minimal restriction. They may require registration, use of an API Key or OAuth, or maybe completely open. They focus on external users, to access data or services.
- **Partner APIs- ** These are APIs Exposed by/to the strategic business partners. They are not available publicly and need specific entitlement to access them. Like open APIs,_ partner APIs_ are the tip of the iceberg because they are the most visible ones and are used to communicate beyond the boundaries of the company. They are usually exposed to a public API developer portal that developers can access in self-service mode. While open APIs are completely open, there is an on-boarding process with a specific validation workflow to get access to_ partner APIs_.
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