First, what are APIs? API stands for Application Programming Interfaces and its basically the architecture that makes it possible for two or more applications to communicate.
It isn’t farfetched to understand that these APIs have become all the rage in the last couple of years due to recent societal developments. The way we work has become much more cloud based and we need these apps we’re working on the work together properly.
When explaining APIs we talk about the consumer and the producer. The consumer askes the producer for information. This happens through unified interfaces.
There are a number of benefits when using APIs, but also some consideration. Some of the benefits are that organizations can quickly deploy mobile apps and microservices-based architectures, and partners can develop and monetize third-party integrations.
There are also a few considerations with respect to modeling, versioning, and contract testing. These will help ensure the ability of the apps to exchange and make use of the information during design, construction, and maintenance.
The original article also offers an overview of schemes to implement APIs.