A Deeper Look Into What API Integration Is All About
Whether you are aware of it or not, APIs are absolutely everywhere these days and the large majority of tasks and activities which you do in your daily lives will likely involve some form of API. From searching for flights and hotels to checking the weather, updating your content to paying for a product online, they all utilize Application Programming Interface. This goes for devices such as tablets, laptops and mobile phones, and without this piece of tech there would be a great number of businesses and services which wouldn’t be able to operate to the high levels that they do.
For integration API design has to be done in a way which will compliment other systems, something which we are going to take a look into today. If you are unaware of how this tech operates or what good it can do, read on for more information.
What is API Integration ?
In a nutshell API integration is a connection which exists between two or potentially more applications, via their own APIs. The API is what allows those applications to ‘talk’ to one another and what enables them to interface with one another, offering the best results to the user. The use of API is absolutely critical for so many businesses which are trying to use a broad range of app features to give their users the very best experience.
Why Is API Integration Important For Businesses?
What this integration allows businesses to do is ultimately leverage their existing functions on application which they have, and then add value to them and build from them to provide a better product. Let’s take SkyScanner as an example, they use APIs to connect with apps from airlines and hotel providers in order to deliver instant information around dates, prices, tariffs and times, all of this is possible because of the level of API integration which they are able to count on.
The Slow Process
There is a great amount of investigation work which needs be done before integrating APIs, and this can take some time. The idea of this investigation work however is to absolutely ensure that the API can be shared both internally and with external systems. When apps are able to connect in this way there is always a potentially security issue which is why integration is not an overnight process.
Data and Security
Once you have an API which is ready to be integrated into another, you will be essentially opening up these two points to share data between. It is of course for this reason that security becomes of paramount importance. A large part of what API integration is, focuses on this security and the verification process to ensure that any API which is ready to be integrated is one that will not pose any threat to the product which the business is presenting to the user.
Ultimately these APIs are currently what makes the world go round and they are used in just about every business that you could find.