Software Programming Interface

What is an API?
An application programming interface, also referred to as API, is a source code interface. With the use of this interface, an operating system or library supports requests for services that are made by computer programs. In other words, an API is the specific method prescribed by an application program or by a computer operating system by which a programmer who writes an application program can make requests of the operating system or another application. In short and simple term, API is a well defined interface between two separate programs.


Software API
Today's competitive global market has created an urgent requirement both within governments and corporations for software communication and understanding of foreign content. By adding the developers API or power of advanced translation to your software, corporate information system, intranet or website, it can help in communicating between staff and customers, partners and suppliers from all across the globe.

With the proliferation of computer programming languages, developers need to translate a program written in one programming language into a different programming language. The objective of perfectly translating a complex source code program into an equivalently functioning program is done with the help of API.

Importance
Use of API becomes necessary because it helps in translating the program and this translation becomes necessary because of the following reasons:

• Business decisions to change underlying platforms.
• The changing availability of the skill of developer to evolve, maintain programs written in specific programming languages.
• The need of developers to program in a specific language.
• To solve the problem of disparity of features between programming languages.

Applications of API
API is used in the following:

• Web portals and sites which require to increase the activity of their customers, visitors.
• Search engines which want to enable their users to access a variety of non-English web pages.
• Corporations which want inter-language communication tools on their corporate Intranet so as to enable them to communicate with global offices and to translate foreign documents.
• API is used by wireless service providers who want to differentiate their offerings while increasing usage and loyalty.
• API is used by Application Service Providers who want to expand their service offerings so as to grow their business and increase their sales.