What is API?

What is API?

An Application Program Interface (API) is code that allows two software programs to communicate with each other.

Application: An application is designed to perform a specific function directly for the user like smart phone game, tool etc.

Program: Programming is how engineers create all the software that makes our lives so much easier.

Interface: An interface is a common boundary shared by two applications or programs that allow both to communicate with one another.

                                   

Where it is used?

An example, you are buying an item in on-line through your credit card. You will provide credit card details and submit your information. It will tell you whether your information is correct or not. To provide these results, there is lot of things in the back end.

The application will send your credit card details to a remote application which will validate your information and send the result back your application. In this process you are using API.

I think hope it helps for the beginners who doesn't understand what API is.