Most developers already know that API means Application Programming Interface. There are many articles on the web that provide various levels of commentary on the subject, but in simple terms an API is a set of definitions, protocols, and tools for building software.
In the context of the SRP HTTP Framework, we are working with web APIs. At a high-level, web APIs are composed of the following:
- A URL (or endpoint) that identifies a resource on a server. (Required)
- The HTTP method that informs the server what action is to be taken by the server. (Required)
- A payload body that the server is expected to act upon. (Required for certain HTTP methods like POST, PUT, and PATCH)
- HTTP request header(s) and corresponding value(s) to provide additional meta data to the server. (Optional)
The SRP HTTP Framework handles web APIs through OpenInsight stored procedures referred to as Resource API modules (or just API modules). API modules always follow this naming pattern: <ResourceName>_API. Thus, if the resource name is "customers" then the API module would be named CUSTOMERS_API.
Therefore, an API technically refers to a specific pairing of a resource URL and HTTP Method but it can also refer to the API module itself.
