As in th e case above, FedEx provided the URL for the tracking number. O n the other side of the equation, is the provider (providing the response). You can create your own requests, reach out to an API, and get information back. This is the ability to consume information through an API. First, there’s th e idea of an API consumer - this can come in the form of a mobile phone, a website, or even FileMaker Pro A dvanced. The kitchen makes your food and then once the food is complete, it goes back through the wait staff ( or your API ), and then you receive your food ( or your respons e). The w aitstaff, aka the API, brings the request to the kitchen ( or the FileMaker Server), where the request is processed.

You make the request to the waitstaff - p retend that they are the API. Pretend that y ou, as the customer, are the application making the request. Think of this analogy: if you’re a customer at a restaurant you have a menu of items you can order. An API is like a contract that includes an understanding between both parties and an agreed-upon standard set by which those parties communicate.

In its simplest form, it's a structured request with a structured response.

A n API is one piece of software talking to another, or one system talking to another system. To spell it out more plainly, API stands for “application programming interface.” But even after spelling it out, it may still cause confusion.

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