API

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules and protocols that allows one software application to communicate with another. APIs define the methods and data formats available so developers can request and exchange information between systems without knowing the internals of either side.

In practice, APIs power most of the modern web. When you search properties on a real estate app, check hotel prices on a travel site, or load product details on an e-commerce platform, an API is handling the data exchange behind the scenes.

For developers, APIs replace the need to build every data source from scratch. Instead of scraping websites or maintaining proprietary data pipelines, you subscribe to an API that delivers structured, reliable data on demand.