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What Is API (Application Programming Interface)?

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a defined set of rules that lets different software applications communicate with each other and exchange data.

Why APIs matter for data delivery

Instead of a customer running their own scraper, a data provider can expose a clean API endpoint that returns ready-to-use data on request. This shifts the burden of collection, parsing, and maintenance onto the provider.

Common API styles

REST and GraphQL are the two most common API styles used for data delivery today, with REST being the more widely adopted standard for straightforward data retrieval.