What is an API?

What it is

Think of a restaurant menu. It lists what you can order and how to ask for it, and you never walk into the kitchen. An API works the same way. The software that offers it publishes a list of allowed requests, and other software sends those requests and gets a predictable answer back.

A point-of-sale system can send each day's sales to your accounting software through their APIs, so nobody retypes totals. A website can ask your inventory system what is in stock and show live availability to shoppers. Access is often controlled by an API key, a long secret value that identifies the program making the request, or by a sign-in token that a person approves once. Either one should be protected like a password.

Why it matters to a business

• Less retyping: data moves between systems without anyone copying it, so typing mistakes drop out.
• Current information: a website, report or dashboard can show what your systems hold now, not last week's export.
• Connected tools: a vendor's API is what lets you join up the software you already pay for.
• Keys need care: anyone holding an API key can act as your system, so keys must be stored safely and replaced when people leave.

How KawaConnect works with APIs

We build integrations and custom tools that connect systems through their APIs, as part of our AI and automation and software work. API keys are stored in a password manager and rotated when staff leave. The code for these tools is kept in Git, so every change is recorded and can be undone.

Learn more

• API on WikipediaA neutral overview of what APIs are and the forms they take.
• What is Git?A plain explanation of version control, for owners whose custom tools and integrations are kept in code.