The Non-Technical User’s Guide to Modern APIs
What Is a Modern API? A Modern APIs (Application Programming Interface) is a software interface that allows two applications to communicate with each other. APIs have been around for quite a while. The term was born in the 1950s , became a concept in the 1960s and 70s, became common – then transformative – in the 80s and 90s, paved the way for business growth in the 2000s, became a backend standard in the 2010s, and is now ubiquitous in the 2020s. An API already seems “modern.” What makes an API turn into a modern API? As an overview, a modern API is one that adheres to specific modern standards and has unique characteristics that are part of continued and rapid transformation in the technology space. Before moving forward, let’s take a step back. What does an API do? What does it look like? How has it transformed my life? It sounds like… An API is like a library. A library has books that you can check out and read. An API has data that you can access and use. Y...