An Introduction to APIs

by Brian Cooksey, Stephanie Briones (Illustrator), Danny Schreiber (Editor)

Have you ever wondered how Facebook is able to automatically display your Instagram photos? How about how Evernote syncs notes between your computer and smartphone? If so, then it’s time to get excited! In this book, we walk you through what it takes for companies to link their systems together. We start off easy, defining some of the tech lingo you may have heard before, but didn’t fully understand. From there, each lesson introduces something new, slowly building up to the point where you are confident about what an API is and, for the brave, could actually take a stab at using one.

Genres: Programming, Nonfiction, Technology, Technical, Reference, Business, Computers

115 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2016

Reviews

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers the very basics. If you know nothing about APIs this can be useful. If you’ve worked with them before, not much benefit can be gained.

The things that are covered are explained well, so well that somebody with no technical knowledge whatsoever can understand.

[Srinivasan Nanduri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very rudimentary. Doesn’t cover the breadth too. If you haven’t done APIs never before, this might be a good start. I picked this book to refresh my API design skills but didn’t match the purpose.

[Hazal Gunduz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy to understand and entertaining.

[Mikyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is as layman as APIs can get. The whole thing is very clear and easy to understand. I always thought APIs were all about web services responding with JSON but this book revealed to me why the need for REST services was important in the first place. I will say the chapters about security (especially the one about OAuth) are a little challenging to understand at first but if you watch a couple videos on YouTube after reading them you'll be just fine. A really great book by Zapier!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPbvx...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4-41...

[eri b.❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

[An API] helps to remember that the API is simply another program running on the server. It may be part of the same program that handles web traffic, or it can be a completely separate one. In either case, it is sitting, waiting for others to ask it for data.

Very illustrative guide for beginners to APIs! Honestly, I did need this introduction because even if I had used APIs before, they were such an abstract concept for me somehow? This book helped me to set clear definitions and now everything is clearer. There aren't any technical things here, not even pieces of code, so I'd recommend only to novices for whom the concept of API is totally new!

[Abdul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a free Kindle (and online book) that was provided free of charge.
Initially I thought it would be garbage because of the price but I was curious about the subject of Web Application Programming Interfaces and wanted to dabble first before purchasing an expensive book.

To my surprise, this short and concise book is packed with useful information and the best introduction to the subject of how API's work, something I needed to understand for my recent role change testing the security of web application.

The author wrote the book in such a brief, east to understand style that any novice with basic IT knowledge can follow. No programming or web knowledge required.

It has an easy example to follow all scenarios and each chapter comes with exercise and some homework to help digest the material and put it into action. Nothing complicated. In fact they were fun exercises!

I thoroughly recommend this neat little book if you always wondered what an API is and how web APIs for websites like Facebook and Instagram work.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book that explains, in eight chapters (less than 100 pages), what application programming interfaces (APIs) are, and it does so in a very readable and engaging manner. The book was commissioned by a company, Zapier, and the book is freely available on their website (URL: https://zapier.com/resources/guides/apis). An earlier version of the book included "homework," and some ability to try things out on the Zapier site, but this has been removed, leaving only the book. Also, the book was published in 2014, nearly nine years ago, which means that some aspects may be out of date. No matter, if you want to understand what an API is, this is a great place to start.

[Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this a few years ago and recommended it to a few non-technical friends. I picked it up again to investigate as inspiration for some technical writing because I haven't been able to find anything as succinctly explained since it was published (as ebook and blog post series on Zapier). It's a solid piece of writing but alas, more things keep popping up that would be nice to add to this gentle introduction.

[Cassie Buckner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very helpful for someone like myself with limited technical experience (i.e. I don't write code but work a lot with telling software what it needs to do in a logical fashion). Now I have more of a working understand of all the keywords developers throw around and how they are applied to what we do at my company. Should have read this a while ago. It's a quick read, too.

[Marios · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this book is an excellent introduction to API’s for someone who has never touched or used them before. Otherwise, not much will be learned from this I believe. Even though it offers a few good examples and online exercises to help practice, it doesn’t really show how an API would be downloaded and used in the real world except for some drawn illustrations. Still an enjoyable read!

[Quharrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid overview of an API

If you're a beginner and want to learn more about what an API is then this book is definitely for you. Otherwise it's great reference material and it's free can't beat that.

[Mark Baggesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on so I got beginners

This is the best book I have read on apis. Excellent especially for beginners. Others books promise great information, this one gives it to you for free.

[Suryasis Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and easy

This is a relatively non technical description of API concepts an
d design. The chapter on authentication and authorization is very engaging. Not a full explanation though ...

[Manny Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic guide

Nice that it kept it simple. The analogies and examples could have be better. More illustrations would have been appreciated.

[Ward Holmquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worthwhile, quick read for a newbie

Well-written, concise, clear, basic explanation of what APIs are and how they function. No undefined jargon to frustrate. Also a quick read.

[Jeff Ai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only useful if you know nothing about APIs - hence an introduction ;) I read it in about 2 hours.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice low-level introduction to APIs.

[Thatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction.

[Alexandre Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good intro to APIs

I liked the didactic method where just enough technical details are given for a newbie like me to grasp how api work. Good stuff.

[Prefix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for introduction and beginner/intermediate level.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible introduction which will be very useful for non-techies and can provide some pointers for those who have never worked directly with APIs.

[Eduardo Xavier · Rating 2 out of 5]

This very very very basic. They organizes concepts with simplicity and clearness.
It seems like a bait to their online service.

[Andy White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very introductory, introduces concepts that would need further research to really understand how they work.

[Kyle Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to understand guide

Easy to understand book with good examples. This went all the way throughout the API process and connected the dots for me.

[Cyrus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have added more details/topics

It contains very minimal information, Could have added more details/topics. Wouldn't have bought this book if I tried the sample.

[Hector Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bueno para comenzar

Muy buen libro para comenzar en a entender el funcionamiento de las API. Muestra a grandes rasgos lo que uno debe de tener en consideración.

[Simon Barraclough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic, obvs, but a good intro.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Introduction

Exactly what it claims to be, an intro read. Zapier works good too. If you have zero knowledge, try this.

[Ju Ju Orange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much a beginner's level book but good coverage. I liked the "homework assignments" at the end of each chapter, though some of them are a little out of date now.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nifty book (in a course format) published on April 2014, still very helpful for those who are looking for an introduction on APIs. It covers all the relevant points related to developing your API - what's an API and why it's valuable, how it’s used, the HTTP protocol, data format, authentication and authorization, API design, resources, endpoints, etc.

The structure of the course is simple and easy to follow. It uses a use-case (a pizza parlor) to progress with the explanation. Even if you have a very basic level of technical experience you’ll still be able to follow and understand the lessons. There are graphics and examples following the conceptual text. And, more importantly, a recap and hands-on activities at the end of each section.