Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

APIs

Posted by Adham Ali
Adham Ali
Courses Plus Student 1,112 Points

How APIs are represented

I always wondered: How APIs are represented. I know that the API is just like a waiter in the resturant it delivers some service or we can say some functionality from some organization to some user (maybe this user is another orgnization or another developer but at the end he is a user for the API)

Now, Are APIs are .dll file I'm not talking about the web APIs . I'm talking about for example Microsoft Office API or Camera API in Windows Phone we access the camera throw some types which in namespaces which in a library or a .dll file

And if I created a useful library that does something can I call it "something API"? since simply that library accesses some functionality throw it namespaces and it types

just like the Camera API which accesses the camera functionality throw it namespace and types

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
230,274 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
230,274 Points

:mailbox_with_mail: Hi, I got your request.

At the most basic, an API is simply a specification for how software components should interact. It's more like the menu than the waiter. But of course, the menu is for a specific restaurant where the waiter might work. It wouldn't be helpful to ask the waiter in the Chinese restaurant for a taco.

If you create a library that does something, then the instructions for how to use your library can be called the "API". If the library itself performs the service, it might be more accurate to call that library the service that the API describes how to use.

Adham Ali
Adham Ali
Courses Plus Student 1,112 Points

Very useful mr. Sterven. Thanks in advance