Programming Intro – API (Application Programming Interface) Intro

Service Oriented Architecture means that many times your servers and software will be communicating with cloud based API’s instead of other physical servers.

API’s give you services that a server would be too expensive to deploy for. An example is using Twilio for SMS notification services. For a few dollars you can add SMS services to your code vs. spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to stand up a server of your own

API’s are not just for platforms such as Facebook, but even for hardware from companies like Cisco.

API Considerations

  • Coding languages supported
  • Cost can rise significantly
  • Usage Limits – some API’s have hard usage limits that initially seem large, but in production become less than you need.

API Problems

  • API’s can be pulled at anytime, or usage rules can change
  • You have no idea what the platform is doing with the data you submit to the API. It may be logged, sold, or used to create a competitor to your company
  • You can out grow the service

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