API FUNDAMENTALS: AN EASY HANDS ON WORKBOOK FOR BEGINNERS: For Product Managers & Everyone Else

Pallavi Agarwal

Aug 2021 · Pallavi Agarwal

About this ebook

Explore the world of APIs, learn in simple language and experiment with hands-on activities

Key Features

Learn the basics of API, importance in today's world and how do they work

Gain an in-depth understanding through hands-on examples of how APIs send and receive responses

Know when and how to use APIs for your product or web apps

Book Description

APIs are in the hands of every user who has a smart phone to say the least. If you want to understand what APIs really mean, how do they work and to put your knowledge of APIs to work quickly, this hands-on workbook will help you get started.

The book provides a practical approach with real life examples to learning the basics, important terminologies, implementation and associated methodologies related to APIs. Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and live activities, this book begins by taking you through the basics of API. This workbook will help you learn how to understand and use APIs to create well-designed, documented, and tested products.

By the end of this book, you'll be able to converse comfortably about APIs, identify the basic components and when an API is being used in any App on your smart phone. You'll also be able to make product decisions based on your understanding of Pros and Cons of different types of APIs and their usability.

What you will learn

Basics of APIs

Find out what is involved in API working

Business case discussion on when or when not to use an API

Real-life examples to experiment with APIs

Understand what an API looks like

Who this book is for

The book is for everyone who wants to learn the basics of APIs. It targets Product Managers looking to understand the basics of APIs and improve product viability with API integrations. You will find this book useful even if you don't know what API stands for and want to build your skills from scratch. The book assumes zero knowledge of APIs.

Table of Contents

What is an API, in “English Please”?

What is an API? I am ready for some actual understanding now.

Request Response Cycle

Types of APIs

Web service APIs

Common HTTP Methods (REST)

Response Codes

API Documentation

Work with an API (LIVE Example)

Other API Terminologies

API Testing & Monitoring

Bonus

References

Phew, I know enough - what to do with this info?

Ratings and reviews

Good introduction to API's. This was a great starting guide among a few other I have seen. I found lot of technical stuff on the web but this is simple to understand even for non technical people.

APIs explained in the best possible way. Anyone looking to start off with APIs, should use this book as the baseline. Definitely a 5 Star 👍

A good introduction to APIs for everyone, the simple explanation and examples are easy to grasp and help to develop critical understanding quickly.