Answered: Your Most Burning Questions About API architecture type
No, it’s not a type of beer, APIs, also known as Application Programme(ing) Interfaces.
So, What is API?
Well, An API is a set of defined rules that explain how computers or applications communicate with one another. APIs sit between an application and the web server, acting as an intermediary layer that processes data transfer between systems.
Jeez, How does it all Works??
Consider the position of a waiter at a restaurant. The kitchen is the provider who will complete your order, and you, the customer, are seated at the table with a menu of options to choose from.
A connection is required to convey your order to the kitchen and secondly to deliver your meal to your table. It can’t be the chef because he’s in the kitchen cooking. Something is required to connect the customer who requests food and the chef who makes it.That’s where the waiter — or the API — comes in.
The waiter takes your order, delivers it to the kitchen, telling the kitchen what to do. It then delivers the response, in this case, the food, back to you. Moreover, if it’s designed correctly, hopefully, your order won’t crash!
APIs are Used according to application structure and needs.
Let’s see what the different types of APIs are:
REST APIs
A REST API is an API that conforms to the design principles of the REST or representational state transfer, architectural style’s design principles. REST APIs are sometimes referred to as RESTful APIs because of this.
In REST API calls, request headers and parameters are especially meaningful because they contain identifying information like metadata, authorisations, unified resource identifiers (URIs), caching, cookies, and more.Within properly-designed REST APIs, request and response headers, as well as standard HTTP status codes, are included.
One of the wonderful aspects about REST APIs is just how simple they are to build and use.
SOAP APIs
The Simple Object Access Protocol is abbreviated as SOAP. SOAP is useful in systems with massive amounts of data that are more expensive to store. Because SOAP is an XML-based system, the data response will be in XML format. Because SOAP provides a high level of security, it is mainly utilised for applications where security is a primary concern.
SOAP supports a wide range of transfer protocols, both high-level and low-level, and it is flexible enough to handle a range of scenarios. SOAP communication is a fantastic fit for use cases like billing, navigation, and facilities, where you need to eliminate any sort of misinterpretation. These systems often have strong contracts with very well logic that can be documented using a WSDL document.
RPC APIs
RPC stands for Remote Procedure Calls.
The RPC receives a request message from the client and interprets it before sending it to the server. This request to a remote server might be a procedure or a function call. When the server gets the request, it responds with the appropriate information. While the server is processing the call, the client is blocked, and execution is only resumed after the server is completed.
It is separated into two categories:
- XML-RPC
For exchanging data with other online services, content management systems like WordPress frequently employ an XML-RPC interface. Furthermore, the pingback technique, which has been an essential link-building tool for bloggers for many years, is based on the transfer format.
- JSON-RPC
It’s utilised to define various data structures. It also specifies the rules for how data structures in the network are handled. You may use it to interact with an ETH node through sockets or HTTP because it is transport-agnostic. When you divide apps into separate components that can function independently of one another, it helps. You may isolate display from logic using a technique known as multi-tier architecture.
The distinction between these two types is that one utilises the XML format while the other uses the JSON format to transmit information.
Hope you get the Answer of API architecture type.
Happy Codding!!
