What is an API endpoint?

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules, protocols, and tools that facilitate communication between various software programs. It outlines the procedures and data formats applications can use to communicate and request data. In software development, APIs are frequently used to facilitate integration between various components, services, or systems.

APIs can serve various purposes, including data retrieval, data manipulationTransforming raw data into meaningful insights through various operations like filtering, sorting, and aggregating., functionality access, and integration. APIs are commonly implemented using web technologies such as HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) and REST (REpresentational State Transfer), although other protocols and architectures, such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and GraphQL, are also used in certain contexts.

Let's have a look at the steps involved in the above given image:

• User initiates request: APIs are designed to be accessed by other programs, not directly by users. So, the user's application initiates the request for data or functionality.

• Request sent to server: The request is directed to the server where the API is hosted.

• Server processes and responds: The server acts as an intermediary, forwarding the request to the API and sending back the response.

• API action and response: The API handles the request, interacts with the database (if needed), and prepares a response.

API endpoint

An API endpoint is a specific URL or URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) representing a web service resource. It’s where other software systems can access our API service. When a client application requests an API endpoint, it triggers the desired action or retrieves the required data.

For instance, a simple API endpoint for retrieving information about users might look like this:

While an endpoint for retrieving information about a specific user might look like:

We can replace the actual identifier with {user_id} of the user we want to retrieve information about when making the request.

Think of an API endpoint as a door to a service. Each door (endpoint) leads to a different room (resource or functionality) in the service. For example, if you have a weather API, you might have endpoints for fetching current weather, historical weather data, forecasts, etc.

API endpoints typically support various HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc., to perform different actions on the resources they represent. The structure of the endpoint URL often includes parameters that specify what action is requested or what data is being manipulated.

Endpoint vs. API

Endpoints and APIs are not the same. An endpoint is like a specific door in a building, while an API is like the blueprint of that building, telling us how everything works together. Endpoints are where we can access specific resources, like a room in a building. The API uses these endpoint addresses to fetch the stuff we need from those rooms.

In conclusion, API endpoints are access points to specific functionalities or resources within a service, facilitating communication between software systems through a defined URL structure.