Welcome to a new entry in the "Quibble's Guides" series! Today we are discussing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). In this guide, I theory-craft the reason behind APIs, why they are built, how they are built, and how they are hosted. I also discuss their surrounding ecosystems as years of conventions and best practices accumulated into standards. To add to the authority of this article, I have linked all relevant resources within this document. When you doubt me, go to the resources and decide for yourself. A cursory attempt has been made to separate opinion from fact (and history).
Introduction to Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
What even is an API anyway? Wikipedia says it is "a connection between computers or between computer programs."