API
A formal contract that lets one software system call functions or fetch data from another, usually over HTTP.
Definition
An Application Programming Interface is a set of HTTP endpoints, RPC methods, or library calls that one program uses to interact with another. Most automation work calls REST or GraphQL APIs on platforms like HubSpot, Stripe, Slack, and Google. Each API defines request methods, parameter shapes, authentication, and rate limits that callers must respect.
When to use
See also
- webhook — An HTTP POST sent by one system to a URL on another system when an event occurs — push, not poll.
- SDK — A library plus tooling that wraps a service's API in a specific programming language.
- REST — An architectural style for HTTP APIs — resources at URLs, manipulated via standard methods like GET and POST.