WEB API
API stands for Application Programming Interface. So, a web API as the name suggests is an API that can be accessed over the web using the HTTP protocol. Technologies like Java, ASP.NET can be used to develop web APIs. Using web APIs, you can develop HTTP based restful services.
There are two types of web APIs, client-side web APIs, and server-side web APIs. Client-side and server-side APIs are similar to interfaces that are used to exchange data between end-users and web services. To improve data accessibility and operation support, every browser has a set of inbuilt web APIs.
Actually, web API is a web development concept and we can say it is the enhanced form of a web application. Like any other APIs, Web APIs are also built with the intention of support and accelerate application development by providing publicly available functionalities. So, the developers don’t need to develop everything from the scratch. Web API contains different types of elements like functions, tools, datasets, etc. to support application development.
“Make It Easy Through Web APIs”
Web APIs makes web developers life easier because web APIs define how software libraries should behave. So the applications that interact with those libraries, follow a set of rules defined by the Web API. So, as long as all the libraries follow the same web API, web developers can develop applications that interact with different libraries without thinking of their strategies.
Why We Use Web APIs
· Great for developing light-weighted maintainable web services.
· Supports for any text pattern. (JSON, XML, etc.)
· Best to choose for creating resource-oriented services.
· Better Performance.
· Best for the devices that have tight bandwidth/limitation in bandwidth.
Examples for Web APIs
· Google Maps API: allows the use of Google Maps on Web Pages. (using JavaScript/Flash)
· YouTube API: allows integrating Youtube into applications.
· The Flickr APIs: allows accessing the Flick photo sharing community data.
· Twitter APIs: enables programmatic access to Twitter data and interact with Twitter Search and trends data. (using Twitter Rest API and Twitter Search API)
· ASP.NET Web API: helps to develop web services with the support of ASP.NET.
Limitations of Web APIs
· The data sent and received is not encrypted. Non-encrypted data can lead to data/information theft.
· Expensive in terms of development time, ongoing maintenance, documentation, and providing support.
· WebApi is not a platform for continuous services.
