Chapter 1: Introduction to APIs
Chapter 1 of 14
Chapter 1: Introduction to APIs
1.1 What are APIs?
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are sets of protocols and tools that allow different software applications to communicate with each other.
Types of APIs:
- REST APIs: Representational State Transfer, uses HTTP methods
- GraphQL APIs: Query language for APIs, flexible data fetching
- SOAP APIs: Simple Object Access Protocol, XML-based
- gRPC APIs: High-performance RPC framework
- WebSocket APIs: Real-time bidirectional communication
// Example API call
fetch('https://api.example.com/users/1')
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data))
.catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));1.2 API Benefits
- Enables integration between systems
- Allows data sharing
- Facilitates third-party integrations
- Enables microservices architecture
- Improves scalability
1.3 API Design Principles
- Consistency in naming and structure
- Clear and intuitive endpoints
- Proper error handling
- Versioning strategy
- Comprehensive documentation