Difference between revisions of "What is an API?"
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Latest revision as of 07:42, 4 May 2006
An application programming interface (API) is a language and message format that a computer system, library or application provides in order to allow requests for service to be made of it by other computer programs, and/or to allow data to be exchanged between them. APIs exist for windowing systems, file systems, database systems, and, of course, networking systems. APIs are implemented by writing function calls in a program, which provide a linkage to the required subroutine for execution.