Application Programming Interface

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-001918",
  "term": "Application Programming Interface",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. Routine or other software device provided by a software vendor or developer to access specific functionality in a software tool or application. The user of the API does not need to know the internal architecture or technology in the software, only how to use the interface (i.e., parameters, codes, etc.)\n\n2. When used in the context of web development, an API is a set of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request messages, along with a definition of the structure of response messages, which is usually in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format. The term web API is virtually synonymous with the term web service.",
  "abbreviation": "API",
  "subject": "Information management and systems",
  "references": [
    "Reusable Component Services (RCS) Glossary",
    "Exchange Network Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/application-programming-interface/"
}