In today’s world, businesses face ever-increasing competition. To survive in the market, they need to reduce costs and increase productivity. There is a solution however, by using APIs to automate the business process, you can bring convenience and speed to your organization. But, you ask, are APIs difficult to implement? Also, what is the best tool for automating through APIs?
Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
What is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface. APIs enable applications to access data and interact with external software components or microservices. They also let you make specific calls or requests to conveniently send or receive information. By using APIs, you can quickly and easily add new features to your application. One example of an API is a find ip address location API such as ipstack.
How do APIs work?
Let’s look at a real-world example. When you search for flights online, you get a wide range of filter options to choose from. You can choose the departure city, the class of seats, and the date. To book a seat, you need to interact with the website of the airlines to access the database.
Different aggregate sites use the databases of multiple airlines to find you the most suitable flights. The same thing also goes for mobile apps. Applications, as well as websites, interact with the airline’s API to access the data.
APIs allow applications to communicate with databases. They facilitate the transmission of information from system to system to develop connectivity. This means your app can easily get and display the data your users are looking for.
Why APIs are so important for developers?
- Automation: With APIs, you can automate your applications quickly. For example, by using Coinlayer, you can automate the process of displaying the latest cryptocurrency rates in your application. The API also updates the rates automatically. You don’t have to do anything manually.
- Easy Integration: APIs are very easy to integrate into your application. It takes just a few minutes to complete the process.
- Highly Customizable: With APIs, you can customize the content and services that you use frequently. This also gives you greater flexibility.
- High Efficiency: APIs help you to boost productivity. They also help you quickly automate features in your application. Because of this, you don’t have to write a lot of code to integrate them.
- Support for Wide Range of Languages: APIs are built around the HTTP protocol. As a result, they are compatible with all the popular programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, and PHP.
Types of APIs
There are three main types of APIs. They are:
- Private: Private APIs are used by specific organizations. They are integrated into the apps used by their employees to automate business processes and boost productivity. The organization has complete control over its Private APIs.
- Partner: As the name suggests, partner APIs are shared by different business partners. They enable you to create additional revenue streams.
- Public: Public APIs are available to developers. As a result, they can reach larger audiences. To use them, you usually need to register and get the API key or OAuth.
REST vs SOAP APIs: What’s the difference?
You might have heard about REST APIs and SOAP APIs. Many developers around the world use them extensively. But how are they different?
REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It is an architectural pattern, which works specifically with components, like media and files. REST APIs use Uniform Service locators to access components on hardware devices. REST APIs can make use of SOAP APIs. They do not require much bandwidth.
On the other hand, SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol. Unlike REST, SOAP is a protocol. It facilitates easy data exchanges between applications built with different programming languages and platforms. It also utilizes service interfaces to expose its functionality to client applications. SOAP cannot make use of REST. It also uses more bandwidth.
What is the best tool for automation through APIs?
Apilayer is the best tool for automation through APIs. It is a suite of web APIs and cloud-based micro-service applications. By making your workflow functions more efficient, it helps you be more productive.
Why is Apilayer the best suite for automation?
- Allows you to boost efficiency by using highly accurate data in real-time
- Helps you to enhance security and verify user data at a reduced cost through verification APIs
- Enables you to easily transform data using conversion APIs
- Helps you take control of your online audience and user journey with a wide range of geo APIs
- Provides real-time and historical data about different currencies with finance APIs
How to Automate with Apilayer
Apilayer comes with a suite of APIs to help you automate the business process to boost productivity. In this post, we will show you how to automate global phone number verification and EU VAT number validation by using two different apilayer APIs: Numverify and Vatlayer.
Automating Global Phone Number Verification with Numverify
Numverify is a real-time REST API. It allows you to validate any national or international phone number. You just need to pass it into the API’s request URL. By using it, you can also reduce the amount of fraudulent numbers and capture only valid leads effectively.
To automate the process of verifying global phone numbers, you need to follow these steps in JavaScript:
1. First, you need to set your endpoint. Then you have to set the access key, which you can get for free by simply signing up.
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var access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY'; var phone_number = '14158586273'; |
2. Now, you can verify phone numbers via AJAX call.
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$.ajax({ url: 'http://apilayer.net/api/validate?access_key=' + access_key + '&number=' + phone_number, dataType: 'jsonp', success: function(json) { |
3. You can get access to your preferred validation result objects by using these lines:
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console.log(json.valid); console.log(json.country_code); console.log(json.carrier); } }); |
Overall, the code will look like this:
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// set endpoint and your access key var access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY'; var phone_number = '14158586273'; // verify phone number via AJAX call $.ajax({ url: 'http://apilayer.net/api/validate?access_key=' + access_key + '&number=' + phone_number, dataType: 'jsonp', success: function(json) { // Access and use your preferred validation result objects console.log(json.valid); console.log(json.country_code); console.log(json.carrier); } }); |
That’s it! Now, you have learned to automate the global phone number verification process by using just a few lines of code.
Source Code:
You can find the source code right here.
Automating EU VAT Number Validation with Vatlayer
Vatlayer is an instant EU VAT number validation API. It is lightweight, simple, and secure. It offers reliable and up-to-date EU VAT rates.
To automate the EU VAT number validation process, you have to go through these simple steps:
1. First, you have to set the endpoint. Next, you need to set the API access key, which you can get by simply signing up here for free. You also have to set the VAT number.
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var endpoint = 'validate' var access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY'; var vat_number = 'LU26375245'; |
2. Now, you can validate VAT numbers by making an AJAX call.
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$.ajax({ url: 'http://apilayer.net/api/' + endpoint + '?access_key=' + access_key + '&vat_number=' + vat_number, dataType: 'jsonp', success: function(json) { |
3. You can get access to your preferred validation result objects by using this code:
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alert(json.valid); alert(json.query); alert(json.company_name); alert(json.company_address); } }); |
Overall, the code will look like this:
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// set endpoint and your access key var endpoint = 'validate' var access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY'; var vat_number = 'LU26375245'; // validate VAT number via AJAX call $.ajax({ url: 'http://apilayer.net/api/' + endpoint + '?access_key=' + access_key + '&vat_number=' + vat_number, dataType: 'jsonp', success: function(json) { // Access and use your preferred validation result objects alert(json.valid); alert(json.query); alert(json.company_name); alert(json.company_address); } }); |
That’s how you automate the VAT number validation process with Vatlayer. As you can see, the process is very simple. You just need to write a few lines of code. So, it can help you to become more productive.
Source Code:
You can view the code right here.
Should I automate my business processes through Apilayer?
Yes. Apilayer provides you with all the APIs you need to effectively automate your business process. It helps businesses improve their efficiency. Finally, apilayer is trusted by both developers, startups, and Fortune 500 companies. Take a look at our site to see how we can help your business.
