API in day today life

Hello !this is Benjamin Rani , lets explore what a API means to common man...

Let me share you all with three most relatable example of how API plays an important role in our day today life.

Here you go! just 2 mins to take to read about API

What is an API?

API stands for “Application Programming Interface.” An API is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. In other words, an API is the messenger that delivers your request to the provider that you're requesting it from and then delivers the response back to you.

To put simply, API facilitate machine to machine interaction like how a browser facilitate human to machine interaction

APIs — play a bigger role in today’s economy than ever before. They allow us to share important data and expose practical business functionality between devices, applications, and individuals.

To better understand what APIs do and how they work, I’ve compiled a list of three of the most relatable examples of API usage in our day today lives.

The three components of API

Examples of API in day today life:

1. Weather Snippets

Google utilizes APIs to display relevant data from user search queries.

One common API usage example we come across on a daily basis is weather data. Rich weather snippets seem to be commonplace, found on all platforms, like Google Search, Apple’s Weather app, or even from your smart home device. For example, if you search “weather + [your city’s name]” on Google, we can see the search results (called a rich snippet) with the current weather conditions and forecast. As an example, here’s the search for “weather new jersey”.

Google utilizes APIs to display relevant data from user search queries.

Google source this information from a third party because they are not in the business of weather data yet. They do so by means of an API, which sends them the latest weather details in a way that’s easy for them to reformat.

2. Pay with PayPal

Hooray!!!

The first thing comes in my mind is for "shopping"

PayPal is a fintech service that allows users to connect personal financial information to their PayPal account. This paves the way for easier, more secure money transfers. The eCommerce websites interacting with PayPal will not have direct access to your bank or card info. our security in this regard is because of API integration.

In terms of the inner-workings of this handy function, it’s very similar to the log-in process. When the user clicks the “Pay with PayPal” button, the application sends an “order” request to the PayPal API, specifying the amount owed and other important details. Then, a pop-up authenticates the user and confirms their purchase. Finally, if everything goes to plan, the API sends confirmation of payment back to the application.

Most online stores offer PayPal and other payment methods, utilizing API connections to these services.

3. Google Maps

The Google Maps API gives users the privilege of nearly limitless geographic aptitude at their fingertips. Search nearby restaurants, niche shops, and whatever else is in relative distance to your location. You may have been using this API example more often than you realize. Each time you can see the business hours, reviews, contact information, or anything of that nature from that handy box on your screen, that is the Google Maps API in action.

To that same effect, clicking on the map icon in that box will open the Google Maps app for you or take you straight to the Google Maps website.

google uses the API to showcase relevant information from user search.

Conclusion:

APIs are the interfaces between program to program (or machine to machine) communication. This is needed now more than ever due to complex technology nature. Not every organization is expert in all area of technology, hence

• If a retailer want to offer location based store search , they would need to use GOOGLE location API service

• If a retailer want to complete an order payment, they would need to use a fintech payment API service like the API exposed by paypal

Hence API let everyone to concentrate on core business area and use other needed technology from the relevant expert organization who build the API and expose it for world to use it.

Of course, many APIs exposed charge the consumer for the service they provide.

Hope this blog provides a basic understanding of APIs.