API Basics & App Builder Flashcards
What is an API?
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are a technology that allows applications to talk to one another.
An API is equivalent to a user interface for applications, data, or devices, except it’s designed for software instead of humans.
What are the benefits of using APIs?
- Outsourcing: to outsource key data and functionality through a predictable standard interface.
- Increased Mobility: upgrading software, migrating to a new service, or expanding your data center footprint.
- Abstraction: a way of hiding the working details of another system. (your software just needs to know how to connect to the other system, not how the other system works)
- Increased Developer Productivity: APIs can minimize application development time
What is the term when a developer takes an existing code base and uses it to refer to the API?
“calling” an API
Why are HTTP Protocols used?
To Call an API
What are HTTP or hypertext transfer protocols?
Standardized languages for communicating with an API.
(Otherwise known as the World Wide Web)
What is the special set (4) of HTTP commands called verbs?
- POST: Submit requested data to a server for processing
- GET: Retrieve requested data from a server
- PUT: Update and replace existing data with new data being sent in the request
- DELETE: Remove the requested data from the server
What is the correct syntax to retrieve data from a server?
- GET https://www.fitbit.com/1/user/[user-id]/activities/date/[date].json
- API://get.fitbit.com/1/user/[user-id]/activities/date/[date].json
- GET https://api.fitbit.com/1/user/[user-id]/activities/date/[date].json
- GET API https://fitbit.com/1/user/[user-id]/activities/date/[date].json
Notice that instead of the “www” you’re familiar with, FitBit uses “api”
In which communication standard does the API respond to an HTML call?
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
What is an exemple of integration tools to help non-programmers to work with these outputs (languages)?
MuleSoft Composer (by Salesforce)
What are composite applications sometimes called “mashups”
An application can make calls to multiple APIs and API providers
What are two relatively new API-like technologies trying to take over Web API?
- GraphQL from Facebook
- gRPC from Google
What is a streaming API?
Using HTTP/2, gRPC can turn an API into a streaming API that feeds its data to the consuming application as soon as that data becomes available.
What is Lightning App Builder?
- Build custom user interfaces,
- Create a new App Page, SF lightning or SF Mobile App
- Customize the lightning experience Home page and Record page
- No-Code / drag-and-drop interface of Lightning App Builder to create apps
Lightning App Builder can be used to build…
- Singel-page App
- Dashboard-style app
- Point Apps: to perform a specific task, such as employee expense
- Custom Records pages: for Salesforce object based on the end-user needs
- Custom Home page
How do you access the Lightning App Builder?
Setup/Lightning App Builder