What is an API? (in 3 minutes)
Why Stack Overflow recommends it
Stack Overflow users link it when answering beginners who are confused about what an API is, since the waiter analogy gives a quick, jargon-free picture.
Recommended by 3 people across 3 different months, 2017 to 2022.
What it is
A short animated explainer from MuleSoft that defines what an API is for non-specialists. It uses a restaurant waiter analogy and a flight-booking example to show how applications request and return data through an intermediary.
What people said
Recommends psilocybin · 2017-01 · Stack Overflow · on “Does an API store data that is extracted from an web site permanently?”
I'm not sure you fully understand the purpose of an API. Generally, an API is simply an interface for fetching/manipulating data. For example, you may use a web API which accepts credentials and data via HTTP then updates a database, for example, MongoDB. Another function of the API may allow the user to view this data using a GET HTTP request, which similarly fetches the data from the database. Think of an API as the middleman between the client application and the data within MongoDB. Hope this helps: What is an API? [this video]
Recommends Mister PiPo · 2020-08 · Stack Overflow · on “Obtaining data from third party apps”
Yes that is possible. Many applications have so-called APIs. Many apps or services like Facebook, Youtube, etc. have such an API. You should familiarize yourself with JSON and these APIs. Here is an explanation: [this video]
Recommends Baumistlustig · 2022-05 · Stack Overflow · on “API issues and is there a way to make them make sense”
First, don't feel bad, everyone starts small. But i think it could help you to use the request library [LINK] . It makes things a bit easier. Also you could watch a YouTube guide for the basic understanding of an API. Try this one [this video]
Cites Santi Rodriguez · 2020-12 · Stack Overflow · on “Is there any way to integrate angular as the front-end portion in a django environment?”
What you were doing was using Django as a backend and frontend framework. But you can use Rest Framework to build an API , keeping Django only on the backend. Once you have the API endpoints built, you can consume them with Angular or any other framework. More info: What is an API? [this video] The tutorial in the official website of Django Rest Framework [LINK] is a great start.
Cites taz mazia · 2021-07 · Stack Overflow · on “WEB API's VS WEB SERVICES?”
I have been on the same journey to learn the differnce between Web API (not JUST API) vs Web Services. First, we know for a fact that both use the Web as the communication tool as stated by @Kris. While looking at these 2 videos, both serve as the "middleman" (the waiter in the restaurant) for a client to ask a Web Server to process and deliver a response. Web Service [LINK] (From 0:35) API (In general) [this video] (From 1:12) When I was looking for an actual differnce between the two, usually most articles and videos go on an unrelated comparison between "Web Services vs API" as they exclude the "Web" out of "Web API" . See this article [LINK] , for example, which contains the title "Web API Vs