A software program calls a component’s API to access its capabilities. In addition to using other components, most software is used as a component by other programs, as shown in Figure 2.

APIs, or application programming interfaces, are the gateways to the digital world. They link a wide array of software applications and systems. APIs facilitate communication between different ...

Application programming interfaces, or more specifically, web APIs, are gateways to other peoples' software -- they are employed to invoke a third-party software component over the Internet.

An API is essentially an instruction manual for a piece of software. Now, let’s combine this with the idea that everything is an application: molecules, galaxies, dogs, people, emotional states ...

APIs are just like any other piece of software — they need to be developed, nurtured, and retired when the time is right. “APIs should be treated the same [as other software], but often that ...

Application programming interfaces enable information systems to communicate and transfer data among each other. Depending how it is configured, an API can enable a system to send or retrieve data ...

With software-defined networking the control of the network is pried out of the data handling devices and centralized on a controller that uses a common protocol, OpenFlow, to direct the switches ...

But, while this was a major win for Google, it was an even bigger win for all software developers -- yes, even Oracle's -- and for open API and open-source software in particular.