Definition
An API, or application programming interface, is an agreed method of communication between systems. It describes the available operations, data formats, authentication, responses, and errors. An API allows an application to retrieve a vendor master record, submit an approved document, check a status, or run a function in another system without manual user action. Merely exposing an API does not create a resilient integration. Data mapping, access control, validation, rate-limit handling, retries, and monitoring are also required. A project should also define interface versioning and responsibility for changes on both sides of the connection. Explore Astrafox integration services.