Hey Guys!! Welcome back to my Blog. If you wanna know about Azure Services, jump to my previous blogs. Today Let me share my knowledge about Web Application Programming Interface aka Web API with you all!!
Lets go…………….:)
API stands for Application Programming Interface. API is actually some kind of interface to do a set of functions. They enable developers to obtain desired features in an application.
What is a Web API?
As the name itself suggests, Web API are often accessed over the web using HTTP protocol. It is a framework that helps developers to create HTTP based RESTFUL services.
These web API are developed by technologies like java, ASP.NET, etc and employed in a web server or a web browser. Web APIs are used to provide services on devices like laptops, mobiles, etc when Web APIs services are used. Web API is the enhanced form of the web application.
Why we use Web API?
- Back End for Native Mobile Applications:
If you are looking for a back end to develop native applications for mobile devices that do not support SOAP, ASP/NET Web API can serve your purpose. Almost any native application running on mobile device other than the Windows one can use ASP/NET Web API as backend. Hence, a web API is good for using with native applications which require web services but not SOAP support. - Develop AJAX based Web Applications:
ASP/NET web API is an ideal choice for development of client web applications that heavily rely on AJAX and do not require extensive configuration settings like WCF REST services. - Light Weight and Easy Creation of Services:
The Web API supports a light architecture powering HTTP services to reach broader range of clients. As compared to WCF, it is much easier and quicker to create services using ASP/NET Web API.
Hence, Web APIs can be helpful in various significant ways in web application development especially when it is an ASP/NET web application. - Open Source
Examples of Web API.
- Google Map API
This API allows to use Google Maps on Webpages using a JavaScript or Flash interface. - getUserMedia API
This API is used for accessing and controlling the media devices like the camera in our device. - History API
This API is used to manage or manipulate the history of our browser. - URL API
This API is used to access and manipulate URLs. - Page Visibility API
This API fires off an `visibilitychange` event when a document becomes visible or hidden. - Clipboard API
This enables us to copy and read data from the system’s clipboard from a webpage and also listen on and responds to clipboard commands such as copy, cut, paste. - Web Audio API
This API gives us the capabilities to work on a audio stream on the web. This API can be used to add effects, filters to an audio source in the web. - Fullscreen API
This API makes fullscreen-mode of our webpage possible. - Web Speech API
This brings power of speech to the Web. This API provides us with the capabilities to add speech synthesis and speech recognition to our web app. - Bluetooth API
This API let’s us access the Bluetooth Low Energy device in our phone. - Channel Messaging API
This API allows the two scripts in different browser contexts to communicate and pass messages to each other in a two-way channel. - Vibration API
This API makes our device shake or vibrate as a means of notification or physical feedback to a new data or info we should respond to. - Broadcast Channel API
This API allows communication of messages or data from different browsing contexts on the same origin. - Payment Request API
This API provides a way of selecting a payment method for goods and services to a payment gateway. - YouTube API
This API allows you to display videos on a web site. - Facebook API
This API allows you to display Facebook info on a web site. - Twitter API
This API allows you to display Tweets on a web site.
Limitations of Web API.
- Web API is not a platform for continuous services. Its purpose is just to provide an interface to your application over HTTP.
- Latency in request processing times and bandwidth usage.
