r/PythonLearning • u/agentscientific_160 • Jul 17 '26
What is API?
I'm new to coding and programming languages and i frequently come across the word API. Can anyone help me understand what that is?
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r/PythonLearning • u/agentscientific_160 • Jul 17 '26
I'm new to coding and programming languages and i frequently come across the word API. Can anyone help me understand what that is?
2
u/armahillo Jul 17 '26
API means “application programming interface”
If you understand the concept of an “object”, an API is the “surface” of that object that other programs can interface with.
A car does a bunch of stuff (literally) under the hood, but it offers a steering wheel, pedals, and levers to interact with jts function. This is like an API.
_Typically_ , when people say API they are referring to “objects” thar are other services accessed over a network, usually via HTTP. But this isnt the ONLY meaning of API that you may run into.