Apis software

Want to embed Instagram photos on your e-commerce app? Want to provide instant access to thousands of hotels on your travel blog? Want to integrate a Yoda translator on your Star Wars fan fiction site? These examples hit upon some of the most common reasons companies use APIs. Below, we dive into more examples of APIs and their business applications. You can use Twitter APIs to find old Tweets, embed Tweets and timelines within your website or app, programmatically create and manage ad campaigns, filter and stream Tweets in real time, deliver personalized customer service through direct messages, subscribe to the real-time activities of more than 15 accounts via webhooks , and more.

One potential use case is to embed user-generated Instagram photos on your app. User-generated content, sometimes shortened to UGC, is a strong form of social proof that can entice leads to convert.

Developers plug into this platform to build apps and services that target three groups: individuals looking to share their own content with third-party apps; brands and advertisers needing to understand and manage their audience and media rights; and broadcasters and publishers wanting to discover content and get digital rights to media or share it with proper attribution. Gathering data from different transactional software, storing contacts, and engaging with third-party tools and custom apps in one CRM are just a few ways that HubSpot APIs can help your business.

To retrieve user-related data such as private playlists, users must authorize your app to access their Spotify accounts. The functionalities are nearly identical to what you would find on the native Spotify platform. With the Browse API, for example, your users can access genres, categories, new releases, and playlist recommendations. Spotify published a list of example apps so you can see how their APIs have been used in the past. The Google platform has an expansive library of APIs with an unlimited amount of uses.

Want to allow users to request directions? How about including Places on your website? Google has divided the APIs by usage and platform web, iOS, or Android , so be sure to choose the correct one for your project. Like most of the examples listed here, these APIs are paid based on monthly usage.

The high level of functionality they offer makes them well worth the price. The PayPal platform has an expansive library of APIs that you can use to integrate PayPal functionality into your website or app without requiring users to access the PayPal website. Should you ever feel stuck, PayPal has a strong support base where you can access frequently asked questions and procure the help of other developers working on PayPal integration projects. There is a vast wealth of APIs available today.

APIs can be categorized by their intended audience and scope. There are four main types of APIs that developers work with:. For a more detailed explanation, see our guide to the types of APIs. Now that we know that businesses can use APIs to securely request and share content , services, and functionalities with both internal and external audiences, you might be thinking why would a company pay another for access to resources that it could create on its own? Why would that company agree to share its assets, particularly with competitors?

Or why would it put in all the work of making an API just so its own workforce could use it? All good questions. Either way, you fall under the mantle of API consumers. Reason: Submit report. See post 1. Or did I miss something? Dennis, some text appears missing at the end of the second paragraph?

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API stands for application programming interface, which is a set of definitions and protocols for building and integrating application software.

This can simplify app development, saving time and money. Because APIs simplify how developers integrate new application components into an existing architecture , they help business and IT teams collaborate. Business needs often change quickly in response to ever shifting digital markets, where new competitors can change a whole industry with a new app. In order to stay competitive, it's important to support the rapid development and deployment of innovative services.

Cloud-native application development is an identifiable way to increase development speed, and it relies on connecting a microservices application architecture through APIs. APIs are a simplified way to connect your own infrastructure through cloud-native app development, but they also allow you to share your data with customers and other external users. Public APIs represent unique business value because they can simplify and expand how you connect with your partners, as well as potentially monetize your data the Google Maps API is a popular example.

For example, imagine a book-distributing company. The book distributor could give its customers a cloud app that lets bookstore clerks check book availability with the distributor. This app could be expensive to develop, limited by platform, and require long development times and ongoing maintenance.

Alternatively, the book distributor could provide an API to check stock availability. There are several benefits to this approach:.

Letting customers access data via an API helps them aggregate information about their inventory in a single place. This could result in higher sales or other business opportunities. In short, APIs let you open up access to your resources while maintaining security and control. How you open access and to whom is up to you. Connecting to APIs, and creating applications that consume the data or functionality exposed by APIs, can be done with a distributed integration platform that connects everything—including legacy systems, and the Internet of Things IoT.

The API is shared with specific business partners. This can provide additional revenue streams without compromising quality. The API is available to everyone. This allows third parties to develop apps that interact with your API and can be a source for innovation. Facilitate open innovation or improved efficiency through external development and collaboration.

Suppose one of the company's partners develops an app that helps people find books on bookstore shelves. The server then retrieves that data, interprets it, performs the necessary actions and sends it back to your phone. The application then interprets that data and presents you with the information you wanted in a readable way. What is missing is the critical link to communicate your order to the kitchen and deliver your food back to your table. The waiter is the messenger — or API — that takes your request or order and tells the kitchen — the system — what to do.

Then the waiter delivers the response back to you; in this case, it is the food. Here is a real-life API example. You may be familiar with the process of searching flights online.