API: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:47, 30 June 2003

Revision as of 09:49, 30 June 2003

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[[de:API]] [[fr:APIApplication Programming Interface]] [[ja:API]] [[nl:API]] [[pl:API]]

An '''Application Programming Interface''' (API) is a set of definitions of the ways in which one piece of [[computer software]] communicates with another. It is a method of achieving [[abstraction (programming)|abstraction]], usually (but not necessarily) between lower-level and higher-level software. One of the primary purposes of an API is to provide a set of commonly-used functions—for example, to draw windows or icons on the screen. Programmers can then take advantage of the API by making use of its functionality, saving them the task of programming everything from scratch. APIs themselves are abstract: software which provides a certain API is often called the ''implementation'' of that API.