Introduction to API and RESTful

API

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Agenda
In this session, we will discuss:
● Introduction to API and its Working

● Difference between API and Web Application

● Different Types of APIs

● Advantages and Disadvantages of API

● RESTful API and its Working

● RESTful API Client Request

● RESTful API Server Response

● Advantages and Disadvantages of RESTful API

● SOAP API Vs RESTful API

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 Introduction to API

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Introduction to API
● APIs are tools that facilitate communication between
two software components by providing a predefined set
of definitions and protocols.
● APIs provide a set of rules, protocols, and tools that
developers can use to access the functionality and data
of another software system, service, or platform.
● APIs helps in structuring the requests and responses,
making it possible for developers to integrate various
services and functionalities into their own applications
without having to build everything from scratch.

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Working of API

Rating
and
Feedback

Notifications Map API

API

User
Request

Driver
Real-Time
Matching
Tracking
API
Payment
Gateway
API
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Difference between API and Web
Application

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Difference Between API and Web Application

Factors API Web Application

Purpose It provides programmatic Allows some level of coding

access to data or services

Data Format Data is usually returned in a Data is displayed in a

structured format formatted manner on web
pages

User Experience Designed for developers Designed for end-users

Accessibility It can be accessed via code It can be accessed through a

or command line interface web browser

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Difference Between API and Web Application

Factors API Web Application

Customization It is flexible and Customization depends on

customizable the design and the
architecture of the web
application
Scalability It can handle a large number It is more complex to scale
of requests and it requires additional
infrastructure

Security It includes built-in security It relies on other layers (e.g.

features such as web server) for security
authentication and
authorization

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Different Types of APIs

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Different Types of API

RESTful APIs

1. Web APIs

SOAP APIs

Operating
System APIs
2. Hardware APIs

Device APIs

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Different Types of API

Python Standard
Library
3. Library APIs
JavaScript
Libraries

SQL APIs

4. Database APIs

No SQL APIs

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Different Types of API

Web Scraping
APIs
5. Data APIs
Data Provider
APIs

Cloud Service
APIs
6. Cloud APIs
Social Media
APIs

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Different Types of API
Device
Management
APIs
7. IoT APIs

Sensor APIs

Payment
Gateway APIs
8. Payment APIs

Banking APIs

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 Advantages of APIs

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Advantages of APIs

Modularity and
Interoperability Scalability
Reusability

APIs promote APIs enable different As the demand for a

modularity by helping software systems, service grows, the
developers to break regardless of their developers can scale
down complex underlying by making additional
systems into smaller, technologies or API requests.
manageable platforms, to
components. communicate and
work together.

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Advantages of APIs

Rapid Development Cost-Effective Enhanced Security

APIs accelerate Developing every APIs can enhance

development by aspect of an security by controlling
providing pre-built application from and limiting access to
functionalities and scratch can be certain parts of a
services. expensive and time- system or data.
consuming.

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Advantages of APIs

Improved User
Data Integration Testing and Debugging
Experience

APIs make it easier to APIs can be tested and By leveraging APIs for
integrate data from debugged features like maps,
various sources and independently, social media sharing,
services into a single allowing developers and third-party logins,
application. to identify and applications can offer
address issues more a more engaging and
efficiently. feature-rich user
experience.

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Disadvantages of APIs

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Drawbacks of API

Maintenance Limited Control

Security Concerns Challenges

APIs can be vulnerable Changes to the When the external

to security threats if underlying system or APIs are used the
not properly secured. service can break users will have limited
compatibility with control over the
existing API clients. underlying service.

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Drawbacks of API

Documentation and Costs Complexity

Support

APIs are not free to Dealing with multiple

Poorly documented
use, and costs can add APIs in a complex
APIs can lead to
up, particularly for system can introduce
confusion and slower
high-volume usage. additional complexity
development.
in terms of
integration,
debugging, and error
handling

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 RESTful API

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Introduction to RESTful API
● REST is an architectural style and a set of constraints for
designing networked applications.
● In RESTful APIs each request from a client to a server
must contain all the information needed to understand
and process the request.
● In REST, the resources are identified by unique URLs
(Uniform Resource Locators).
● REST uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT,
DELETE, etc.) to perform actions on resources.
● RESTful APIs are relatively simple to understand and
use.

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Working of RESTful API

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Working of RESTful API

The client sends a request to the

The server then authenticates the
server and follows the API
client and confirms that the client
documentation to format the
has the right to make that
request in a way that the server
request.
understands.

The server receives the request The server returns a response to

and processes it internally. the client

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RESTful API Client Request

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RESTful API Client Request
Cookies
to maintain
session HTTP Method
Accept Header
information GET, POST ,
JSON, XML, or PUT and
HTML DELETE

Authentication
Request Headers
Credentials Authentication
API keys,
tokens,
tokens, or
Content type
username
Client

Query Parameters Request URL

query Domain, Path
parameters in and Query
the URL Request Body parameters
formats like
JSON or XML
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RESTful API Server Response

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RESTful API Server Response

HTTP Status Code

Cookies Successful,
error or further
action

Metadata Request Headers

timestamps, content type,
version caching
numbers, or directives
links Server

Error Messages
Response Body
details
explaining the JSON, XML,
issue HTML,

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Advantages of RESTful API

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Advantages of RESTful APIs

Simplicity and Ease of Scalability Flexibility

Use

The use of standard RESTful APIs are RESTful APIs are

HTTP methods and inherently scalable versatile and can be
status codes simplifies because they are used with various
the interaction with stateless and do not data formats, such as
APIs. require the server to JSON, XML, HTML,
store client-specific and more.
information between
requests.

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Advantages of RESTful APIs

Platform Independence Statelessness Caching

RESTful APIs are RESTful APIs are HTTP, the underlying

platform- stateless, meaning protocol for RESTful
independent, that each request APIs, supports
meaning that clients from a client to a caching.
and servers can be server contains all the
implemented in information needed
different to understand and
programming process the request
languages and run on
different platforms.

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Advantages of RESTful APIs

Uniform Interface Accessibility Security

RESTful APIs adhere RESTful APIs are RESTful APIs can

to a uniform and accessible over implement security
consistent interface, standard HTTP mechanisms, such as
which includes protocols, making authentication and
standard HTTP them available to a authorization, to
methods (GET, POST, wide range of clients. protect resources and
PUT, DELETE) and data.
status codes.

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Disadvantages of RESTful API

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Disadvantages of RESTful APIs

Overfetching and Limited Lack of Built-in Error

Underfetching Standardization Handling

RESTful APIs often While REST is a widely REST does not provide
return fixed data accepted a standardized way of
structures, which can architectural style, handling errors.
lead to overfetching there's no strict
or underfetching. standard for how to
implement it.

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 SOAP API

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Introduction to SOAP API
● SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a protocol for
exchanging structured information in the
implementation of web services.
● A SOAP API (Application Programming Interface) is an
interface that allows applications to communicate with
each other using the SOAP protocol.
● SOAP is used for sending messages between
applications over various protocols, including HTTP,
SMTP, and more.
● SOAP provides mechanisms for security, including
encryption and authentication, which can be essential
in enterprise-level applications.

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SOAP API Vs RESTful API

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Difference Between SOAP and REST

Feature SOAP REST

Full Form Simple Object Access Representational State

Protocol Transfer

Purpose SOAP is a protocol for REST is an architecture style

communication between for designing
applications communication interfaces.

Design SOAP API exposes the REST API exposes the data
operation.
Protocol SOAP is independent and REST works only with HTTPS
can work with any transport
protocol.

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Difference Between SOAP and REST

Feature SOAP REST

Data Format Transports data in standard REST supports XML, JSON,

XML format. plain text, HTML

Performance SOAP messages are larger, REST has faster performance

which makes due to smaller messages and
communication slower. caching support.

Scalability SOAP is difficult to scale REST is easy to scale

Security SOAP supports encryption REST supports encryption

with additional overheads. without affecting
performance.

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Summary
Here’s a brief recap:
● APIs are essential tools for enabling seamless communication between software components, offering

predefined definitions and protocols.

● APIs furnish developers with rules and tools to access external software system functionality,

streamlining request and response structuring and allowing easy integration of diverse services into
their own applications without starting from scratch.
● SOAP and RESTful are two distinct approaches for designing web APIs, with SOAP being more rigid and

protocol-based, while RESTful follows a simpler, flexible, and stateless architecture.

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