API Integration and development

API stands for Application Programming Interface. An API is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other and API Integration is that connection.

REST or RESTful API design (Representational State Transfer) takes advantage of existing protocols, therefore it is the most adopted API design.

REST usually takes advantage of HTTP when used for Web API, this makes it incredibly developer-friendly because developers no longer need to install additional software or libraries to support it.

Think of an API Integration like a restaurant, disparate parts of the restaurants require a connection to each other in order to operate. The waiter is the API integration or web service, the process of taking your order to the kitchen is the connection. Without this connection, your food would never be cooked.

API can have many complexities, we look at API as three different API methods: Incoming, Outgoing or Synchronous.

Incoming API is typically provided by an external party, in order for you to pull data into your software. This is the simplest API integration method. – This starts at AU$15,000

Outgoing API is provided by you in order for third-party software to pull data from your software. This method can be complex as it requires software architecture to support API and the right access and security protocols in place in order to safeguard your data. – This method will start at AU$20,000

Synchronous API is by far the most complicated method as it allows both pulling and pushing data. – There is no way of estimating the cost of synchronous API development as there are a plethora of variables that need to be considered.