External APIs
External APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are interfaces provided by third-party services that allow developers to access their data, functionality, or resources programmatically over the internet. They enable applications to integrate with external systems, such as social media platforms, payment gateways, or weather services, without building those capabilities from scratch. APIs typically use standard protocols like HTTP/HTTPS and data formats like JSON or XML to facilitate communication between different software components.
Developers should learn and use external APIs to extend their applications' capabilities efficiently, saving time and resources by leveraging pre-built services. This is crucial for integrating features like payment processing (e.g., Stripe), authentication (e.g., OAuth with Google), or data enrichment (e.g., fetching weather data from a weather API). It's essential in modern web and mobile development to create interconnected, feature-rich applications that rely on external data or services.