An introduction to APIs and why they are important to you - for non technical people

 I've found myself, on the business side of development, not as a developer, talking about APIs so much lately that I'd like to take 5 minutes to reflect. 

As a quick starting point, I went and checked what the Wikipedia definition of API is.  

From Wikipedia:

 An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of functions, procedures, methods or classes used by computer programs to request services from the operating system, software libraries or any other service providers running on the computer. A computer programmer uses the API to make application programs.Types of API include web services API like the Twitter API, which allows programs to use the API to receive updates on tweets. 

 As a business user, It has a bit of a blah blah tone to it, but then there is a nugget of gold in the very last line. The Twitter API allows programs to use the API to receive updates on tweets. So it’s a small nugget, but a nugget nonetheless. 

If you are looking to build, say a web application that required updates on tweets, without APIs you would have to develop that functionality from the ground up. Which costs time and money – bam you’ve sped your time to market for your little start-up.  

So how do I define what an API is?   

I subscribe to the view that APIs are an interface into set of functions. These functions could be 1000s of lines of code or more written by developers (Developers that may not be on your payroll). 

APIs minimise the need for deep domain knowledge and expertise in all functions. With the Twitter example, you don’t need to be an expert in this space. So Focus on your core expertise, don’t worry about becoming a developer to ship products, use the expertise of others via APIs to get products to market fast.    

Sounds simple right?  

Comment below, I'm happy to answer questions.