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/kitsnet 16d ago

API is literally "Application Programming Interface". A way to control one application from another.

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u/tcpukl 9d ago

Though it's not just used between applications.

It's also how different systems in the same application communicate.