What is an API?
I am frequently questioned by my peers as to what exactly an API is… The acronym API stands for Application Programming Interface. An Application Programming Interface (API) in layman’s terms is simply an interface for allowing two different programs or systems to communicate. Note: API is also commonly called a 3rd-Party Integration Method or Web Services Intergration. Think of it as a universal language – like Sign Language. Now imagine an Italian trying to speak Italian with a German who only knows German. This gets them nowhere. Now imagine that they are both able to use Sign Language. The language barrier is now broken. An API is kind of like Sign Language, in that it breaks the programming language/interface barrier. All modern programming languages today are able to communicate to APIs using standard protocols. My personal favorite – the world’s most popular web programming language – is PHP. Using PHP, I am able to interface with modern online systems, as well as perform complex third-party integrations with legacy systems for our EDU Interactive clients.

Who offers an API?
Many of the larger, more reputable online companies offer API integration to some or all of their services. A few companies that have mature APIs are Google, Yahoo, Salesforce, Digg, Flickr, Basecamp, etc. With the internet’s growing number of disparate systems, programs and languages, APIs are rapidly growing in popularity and use.

What is a real-world API usage example?
My most recent usage was the Google adWords API. Let me take a step back, Google adWords is the platform for Paid Search Marketing on Google and their Search Network. I interfaced programmatically with our clients’ data (via the API) to pull custom reports and send that information each day in an easy to read, easy to understand HTML email. Without API access, I would have had to login, navigate to the right report, copy/paste the pertinent data, manually construct the email and send it out for each of my clients.

How about another real-world example?
At EDU interactive we deliver our clients’ high-quality web leads in real-time through 3rd-party APIs. Instead of forcing our clients to use an overly simplified home-grown solution or sending emails/cumbersome spreadsheets to deliver the data, we seamlessly deliver the leads directly into each customer’s CRM solution. CRM – Customer Relationship Management – is a broad term used to describe a system or software used to track a lead/prospect through the various points of contact and conversion milestones. If a new customer does not already have a CRM or similar solution in place, we can suggest one of many commercial solutions that makes sense considering their requirements and budget, while providing the necessary API access.