API (Application Programming Interface)
An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. In frontend development, APIs are commonly used to fetch data from servers, interact with third-party services, and enable different parts of an application to work together.
Common Types of APIs in Frontend
REST APIs RESTful APIs use HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to perform operations on resources. They typically return data in JSON format.
GraphQL APIs GraphQL provides a query language that allows clients to request exactly the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching of data.
Browser APIs Built-in APIs provided by web browsers, such as the Fetch API, DOM API, Geolocation API, and Web Storage API.
Example
javascript// Fetching data from a REST API fetch('https://api.example.com/users') .then(response => response.json()) .then(data => console.log(data)) .catch(error => console.error('Error:', error))