API

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of defined rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs specify how software components should interact, abstracting the underlying implementation and exposing only the operations and data models needed by the consumer. In database contexts, APIs enable programmatic access to database operations: REST APIs expose CRUD operations over HTTP, GraphQL APIs allow clients to request exactly the data they need, and database-specific APIs (like PostgreSQL's wire protocol) enable direct programmatic access. APIs are essential for integration, automation, and building data-driven applications that combine data from multiple sources.