What is an API? A plain-English guide for business owners
Developers say "API" constantly. Here is what it means, why it matters to your business, and the questions worth asking when someone mentions it.
If you have spoken to anyone who builds websites or apps, you have probably heard the word API. It sounds technical, and the explanation is usually worse. It is much simpler than it sounds.
Think of a restaurant
You sit at a table. You do not walk into the kitchen and start cooking, and the chef does not come out to take your order. Instead, a waiter carries your request to the kitchen and brings back what you asked for.
An API is the waiter. Your website is the table, where people look at things and ask for them. Your information, such as products, bookings and customer details, is the kitchen. The API carries requests back and forth, in a way that is organised and safe.
Why it matters to your business
- One set of information, many places. Update a price once and it changes on your website, in your dashboard and in a mobile app, because they all ask the same API.
- Safety. The website never reaches into your data directly. The API checks who is asking and what they are allowed to do.
- Room to grow. Want a mobile app next year? It can use the engine you already have, instead of starting from scratch.
- Connections. An API can also talk to other services, such as payment providers and email tools, so they work together.
Questions worth asking
You do not need to understand how it is built. You do need good answers to a few questions. Who owns the data and the code at the end of the project? Can the system grow to handle more customers? What happens if something goes wrong, and how quickly is it fixed? A good developer will answer these without jargon.
At Ovied we build this part to be dependable and well looked after, because it is the bit you never want to think about. If you ever want to know how yours works, ask. We will explain it with a restaurant if we have to.