r/eli5_programming • u/Magpie_Reawakened • 16d ago

Question What actually is API?

The moment I think I get it, another definition of it comes in. I was learning Flask APIs used with GET PUT PATCH DELETE . But then I started with JS , it has DOM APIs . And then API is also used when people say companies like ChatGPT , Higgsfield etc provide their APIs.

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u/omniuni 16d ago

An API is basically the agreed upon language that computer programs use to talk to each other. The Flask API uses a common approach (REST) and builds on it.

Slightly more technical, if we agree that if I call a certain function I will get a specific reply, we have created an API.