API or Application Programming Interface builds a bridge between applications. Software to perform certain tasks in the way users want. API is the modern-day solution to problems that used to haunt us for a long time.
Simple information on what Cloud Computing is:
Those who still don’t know what Cloud Computing is may recall the services they enjoy on their handheld devices. Services like Google Drive and iCloud are all simple and fine examples.
On the contrary, Cloud Computing is not only limited to that. One can undertake delivery of servers, databases, software support, etc. over the internet, making us stay economical in our strategy. Budget management, and infrastructure planning, saving a lot of time.
Why is API used?
Now imagine if we introduce API to the latter, it will be the gateway to so many opportunities. Well, it seems, the innovation in merging the two have already taken place. It is time to understand what it is and how it works.
What is API in Cloud Computing?
Before we can elaborate on what roles API play in cloud computing, we will understand what API in Cloud Computing is – a brief you can say.
The adoption of Cloud Computing is so fast that we immediately required API in Cloud Computing services like Google Cloud. As we already understood what API is, there is no further need to tell you the use of API in Cloud Computing.
Here is a quick rundown of what it actually means
- Cloud computing service provider first comes up with an application or service model of their choice.
- With those applications or services, they zero in on an API for the execution of communication, and interaction with them
- API in that Cloud Computing service enables other programs to get access, and modify its data and functions.
- For developers, APIs make their job easy and cost-saving as they can now check and test various software components from one or multiple sources across a network.
It is time to see the types of API we come across in the Cloud Computing world.
- IAAS or Infrastructure as a service API
- SAAS or Software as a service API
- PAAS or Platform as a service API
What is the role of API in Cloud Computing?
APIs put life into the web service by introducing communication, interaction, and optimization. Here are some quick points describing the roles of API in Cloud Computing.
- During the time of high demand or more site access, API ensures extensibility, indicating ideas to grow with more useful features that can bring more business.
- Also, APIs help the website speed up when users try to access it in large numbers. From the security aspect of the website, APIs take care of that as well.
- With Cloud Computing, service providers are the key partners and hence APIs walk that extra mile to integrate with other service providers when you are working with one.
- Not just integration, seamless interoperability, security measures, and compliance with regulations are all API’s forte.
- If you are success-driven, your cloud computing service can’t go without API. Records show disasters happen when incorporating API is taken back foot no matter how large your organizations are. To scale your business, API plays a key part.
- The modern generation wants everything on the go – portable services, data, records, project updates, and optimization. API makes sure your offered services are at par with the trend.
- APIs in Google Cloud, OneDrive, iCloud, and Microsoft Azure majorly contributed to their positioning in the market today. With it, you can check out the advantages of cloud computing in 2022.
Some API examples and types:
Examples:
Well first to understand better let’s see some examples of API then we are going to list out the different kinds of API we use nowadays.
Cloud computing is the modern business these days. API in cloud computing serves the business just right bringing greater reachability to the resources, more security, and control over the management. To know more about it, let’s see these examples.
Booking reservation
Travel booking sites integrate with thousands of flights with cheapest options and suitable timings for the date and time, also hotels, trains, show time for a movie you want to watch and book a seat for. The API for booking reservations collects all the latest and most updated information regarding your booking needs and shows it to you. This happens autonomously in exchange for your sent data and requests. APIs in modern days brought a revolution by reducing time and effort in completing all these arduous tasks instantly without any additional cost and labor.
Payment APIs
Just like registering with a new service, how many times do we actually encounter the payment wall while placing our favorite pizza or the pair of shoes that made us awestruck as soon as we saw them on the shopping website? Well, it often happens with the frequency increasing at the beginning of a month. We see options like “Pay with PayPal” or Pay with a third-party service name highlighted on the checkout page. We don’t give it much thought and click it immediately just to complete the payment within seconds as we get redirected to the mentioned application.
Ever wondered about the convenience it has brought or a life without it? Well, so is the scenario created by the Payment APIs everywhere. They are revolutionary, they are our favorites and most importantly they became our favorites even when we don’t know what they are called. Also, with the payment process going in the background, we cast doubts about whether the security process. And afraid not, this API is built to protect your sensitive data from being exposed to unwanted parties.
Best Google Map API
Google Map API is legendary where the core API displays static as well as interactive maps and maintains the right coordination to associate with other APIs to provide users with real-time updates like traffic jams. Order updates, and also directions to places nearby on the surrounding location of your marker. Google Map API uses geolocation and offers interactive features to users so that they can refine their searches and find out the information that they want.
Types:
Well, the examples are out of the way now and we can now dig deep to understand how many types of APIs are operating.
APIs are mostly web APIs these days. Web API in cloud computing basically puts the application data and functional prompts on the internet to expand the usability and information access following the instructions or requests made by the user. However, here is the classification of the web API we work with these days.
- Open or Public APIs
- Partner APIs
- Internal or private APIs
- Composite APIs
- Commercial APIs
Open or Public APIs:
As the name suggests, these are Open Source application programming interfaces that are available for everyone to access. The protocol used here is HTTP, therefore this API is widely popular in terms of footfall, and growth of a business. Any third-party developer can take leverage of it to showcase its brand as well as use it as a great marketing tool.
Moreover, the public API can bring home some additional income every single day if the strategies work properly. If we go into more detail, these APIs in cloud computing businesses clearly define request and response format, helping the developer to understand the visitors’ activity and set strategies accordingly.
Partner APIs:
Evident from its name, Partner APIs are all about sharing an API agreement with a strategic business partner, and the party who shares it or the publisher can also choose to bring on board more partners as they expand the business. In cloud computing specifically,
the use of partner API ranges across different cloud servers that work as a one-stop solution. Like the cloud server which allows you to store your photos can use the partner API to allow its users to switch to its file storage servers as well. This is just an example that explains how it works.
Internal or Private APIs:
In a company, professionals like developers, system engineers, department heads take leverage of these APIs, and thus it is called the internal API. Outsiders or external users don’t get to use this as this is completely restricted to the internal team. So these private APIs come in handy when it comes to making some progress in the native software solutions or services or introducing a whole new system that helps in the process of making customer-friendly apps.
This kind of API doesn’t get plenty of fancy features to lure users. These can be a bit more complicated than public API only with the necessary add-ons, aiming to increase productivity and grow the business in the long haul.
Composite APIs:
Anything composite helps us bring things under one umbrella. Well, composite APIs are not an exception to that. The aim here is to combine multiple data or services into one so that the ease of doing it contributes to productivity and growth. Likewise, in APIs when you have to examine different endpoints and composite APIs ease that task in a single process. For example, when you work with microservices architecture, composite APIs are just your go-to thing.
Before we jump into the names of those protocols and how they operate, we should know that the mentioned protocols support API for Cloud.
- REST or Representational State Transfer:
We call it the REST API or RESTful API – both terminologies work. Such APIs use HTTP protocol and demand certain architectural parameters. The interface must be compliant with these requirements and apart from that, there are no standards to follow. Rest API in cloud computing is a good choice as this protocol performs well with reading, creating, Top 3 Best Electric Skateboards in 2023 modifying, and deleting operations. Later on, we will be familiar with the SOAP protocols which we can use with the REST APIs as well.
- SOAP or Simple Object Access Protocol:
SOAP API protocol uses XML to manage the transfer of data by users. It is also associated with SMTP and HTTP. SOAP protocol has its niche in managing the transfer of information in such circumstances.
- XML-RPC protocol:
RPC means Remote procedure calls and as the name suggests, this protocol uses XML to undertake the information management.
