Intro to APIs

Question 1

What is the purpose of an API?

Answer 1

To provide abstraction to simplify connections between backend and UI.

Question 2

What are the 4 primary components of an API?

Answer 2

• API key
• API documentation
• Requests
• Responses

Question 3

What is an API key?

Answer 3

Identification mechanism to allow specific access to data.

Question 4

What is API documentation?

Answer 4

The instructions for how to interface with an API.

Question 5

What is an API request?

Answer 5

A packet of information being sent to the program that you are blind to.

Question 6

What is an API response?

Answer 6

Feedback from the request, typically a JSOn file (REST APIs).

Question 7

What is contained in a RESTful API request?

Answer 7

• Header: contains API key
• Operations: CRUD / HTTP
• Endpoints: resources
• Parameters / body: Data in request

Question 8

What are the CRUD operations?

Answer 8

• Create
• Read
• Update
• Delete

Question 9

What are the most common HTTP methods?

Answer 9

• Post
• Get
• Put
• Patch
• Delete

Question 10

What are the repsonses to the common HTTP methods?

Answer 10

• POST: returns the new info that was sent in parameters
• GET: obtains the info you were trying to read
• PUT: Updated resource by replacing it with data in parameters
• PATCH: Updates resources by modifying it with data in parameters
• DELETE: Indicates if request for deletion was successful.

Question 11

What is the difference between an internal and an external API?

Answer 11

• Internal APIs is internal to a singular application: useful for using two different programming languages in the same application.
• External API works with publicly available data

Question 12

What are the common API error codes?

Answer 12

• 100: in progress
• 200: ok
• 300: Redirect
• 400: Error with Request
• ## 500: Error with responsection

Question 13

What are the most common types of APIs?

Answer 13

• REST
• SOAP
• AJAX
• Webhooks