open systems

“What’s an API?” When a new programmer asks this question, they typically get the answer, “an application programming interface.” But APIs are so much more than their name suggests—and to understand and unleash their value, we must focus on the keyword interface. An API is the interface that a software program presents to other programs, to humans, and, in the case of web APIs, to the world via the internet. An API’s design belies much about the program behind it—business model, product features, the occasional bug. Although APIs are designed to work with other programs, they’re mostly intended to be […]