05/01/2021
Application Programming Interface
An Application Programming Interface (API) is a tool set that programmers can use in helping them create software. A good API will have clear and concise commands that a programmer can use and reuse, so they don't have to build everything over again.
Even Windows has a huge set of APIs that you can use in order to work with the user interface. There's no need to completely rebuild forms, commands, or even scroll bars. All of these actions are accessible within various APIs, and can be brought into your program. This also ensures a consistent look and feel among applications, but still allows for unique functionality.
You can find APIs for both standard desktop computers and mobile devices. With the explosion in mobile device usage, like iPhones and Androids, the number of mobile-ready APIs has grown exponentially. Many may seem basic, but are huge for developers who need to quickly develop apps. An example is the Apple (iOS) API that's used to detect touchscreen interactions.
APIs are tools. They allow you as a programmer to deliver solid solutions fairly rapidly. If you have to rebuild everything from scratch every time, your solutions will be cumbersome. And they probably won't work! If there's an API for your particular need, use it!