widgetBeat…

So you want to know what an API REALLY is?

March 27th, 2008

by Al Merkrebs, March 27, 2008 @ 12:51 p.m. PDT

The buzz word “API” hit the news this week when Yahoo! decided to adopt the OpenSocial API, while big player Facebook remained a holdout.

Most people in the social network industry have a basic understanding of what API (Application Programming Interface) means.

It’s the software interface that allows an application, like a widget, to work in any given environment, like the different environments used by MySpace, Bebo, Orkut, etc. The widget needs to know the environment’s rules– its API– in order to function.

Now I’ve always wanted to dig a little deeper into how APIs really work, and I recently found an excellent article that takes the reader to the next level of understanding APIs.

If you want to go to that level, and are not afraid of learning more acronyms, Ryan Deschamps’ article “APIs: Who? What? Why? How?” is a must read.

You won’t become an API programmer, but you’ll be able to use the term with a knowing nod.

Entry Filed under: widget in sight