Plain-English definition

API

What it means

An API is a set of rules that lets two pieces of software talk to each other and swap information. It's how your app can, say, pull in live weather or let people pay with their card without you building all of that yourself.

In plain terms

Think of a waiter at a restaurant. You don't walk into the kitchen; you tell the waiter what you want, and they bring it back from the kitchen. The API is the waiter carrying requests and answers between two systems.

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