1 - What is an API ?
The term API
API stands for application programming interface.
It is a set of commands, functions, protocols, and objects that programmers can use to create software or interact with an external system.
Accordingly, the API allows applications to communicate with each other.
The API is not the database or even the server, but the code that regulates the access points for the server and enables communication.
As a result, the exchange of data between different systems is accelerated and simplified significantly.
2 - Which API levels are in use at seventhings?
Internal API
Like most other software systems, seventhings is also based on an Internal API.
This is used, for example, between the backend and the frontend, as well as between the backend and the mobile apps.
Closed or Private API
The use case of our customers often has the need to enable a connection of our software to third party systems.
As our customers or partners have specific needs and an individual system is in use, they can work with a Closed API.
The provision of a Private API (Closed (REST-) API) for our customers and partners is planned for the future. These are also referred to as OPEN-To-Customer API and OPEN-To-Partner API.
3 - Which other API levels are there?
Open or Public API
Open APIs are usually only used if the software is for B2C (Business to Customer). In our case, it is a B2B (Business to Business) software, so an Open API (Open-To-All-API) would not reach the right target group (any developer and end user).
ℹ️As described above, the term Open API is often equated with Open-to-Customer or Open-to-Partner API, which conceptually belong to the group of Closed API though, the latter of which seventhings will provide in the future.