Recently, new data needs have arisen for many applications. There are many situations that cause this. Such as the expansion of the market, the advancement of technology, the increase of competition, and the gradual decline of the impossible phenomenon. Businesses often obtain APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) from external systems and perform an API integration to meet their data needs in their applications. In fact, businesses can perform multiple API integrations for different types of data needs.
It is advantageous for businesses to integrate multiple APIs for different types of data needs. In this article, we will talk about the importance of API integrations. Then we will list API integration use cases and answer some basic questions about API integrations.
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What Is the Importance of API Integration?
API integration is a process that connects different software applications with each other. This process simplifies many operations between different applications such as data transfer, automated process creation, data synchronization, etc. API integration helps businesses operate more efficiently and quickly.
Integrating API saves businesses cost. Businesses get rid of the costs of acquiring, updating, and maintaining the data they need. This also keeps businesses a few steps ahead of their competitors. With API integration, businesses can make quick decisions and make a rapid transformation.
Some Popular API Integration Use Cases
API integration refers businesses to automating business processes and offers seamless connectivity. Today, many applications that we are familiar with obtain and present the data they offer to their users by performing API integration.
In this section, we will take a closer look at the use cases of API integration.
IoT (Internet of Things): IoT devices are one of the first examples of API integration today. The sensors in these devices generate data for different devices or cloud systems thanks to API integration.
E-Commerce: E-commerce applications perform API integrations in many areas. Some of these are transactions such as payment transactions, cargo tracking, stock management, and product catalog updating. Thanks to API integration, e-commerce applications can take quick actions, especially in payment steps.
Social Media: Social media platforms offer their APIs to developers. In this way, developers can integrate these APIs into their own applications and manage their social media accounts from different applications.
Travel: The travel industry is one of the popular areas where API integrations are frequently made. Today, many travel applications provide their users with flight information from more than one airline. They provide this data by obtaining it with the APIs of the airline companies.
Human Resources: Human resources departments are areas where API integrations are frequently made. These departments can perform the recruitment process, performance management, and management of employee data by integrating API into their systems.
How Do Businesses Perform API Integrations?
There are many ways businesses can perform API integration. Among these ways, there are two ways most preferred by businesses today. These are custom API integrations and API integration platforms.
Custom API Integrations
Custom API integrations are actually traditional API integration paths. That is to write integration codes. In many applications today, developers use this method when integrating new APIs into their systems.
Developers read the API documentation thoroughly before integrating these APIs into applications. These documents should contain a lot of information about API integration. For example, APILayer, which lists more than 90 free APIs that can be used in almost every application today, provides detailed documentation of each API it lists. API documentation for APIs listed in APILayer includes integration code examples of multiple programming languages. In this way, developers can quickly integrate without wasting time.
The example below is a playground of the IP to Location API listed under APILayer. This playground has code samples of multiple programming languages for custom API integration.
API Integration Platforms
API integration platforms are API integration tools that assist users in the API integration process. These platforms provide their users with many shortcuts for API integration. In addition, it offers interfaces for a fast and easy integration process.
The biggest advantage of API integration platforms is that they provide many API integrations ready-made. Users can quickly use the ready-made API integrations provided by these platforms. These platforms also appeal to non-technical people.
What Are Some Popular API Integration Platforms?
API integration platforms have become increasingly popular today, as they are suitable for both technical and non-technical people. In this section, we will list some API integration platforms that businesses and developers can use in their applications.
MuleSoft: MuleSoft is an integration platform that provides enterprise-level service to its users. This platform enables businesses and developers to transfer data between local and cloud environments.
Dell Boomi: Dell Boomi is a cloud-based API integration platform. This platform also provides its users with many prebuilt-ready integration solutions to facilitate data exchange between applications.
Workato: Workato is an API integration platform where non-technical users can connect applications, data, and business processes without writing code. The platform has a user-friendly interface.
Zapier: Zapier is an API integration platform that provides automated data transfer between different applications. While Zapier allows its users to make new integrations, it also offers pre-made API integration solutions.
Jitterbit: Jitterbit offers a cloud-based integration service for the data management needs of businesses. Using Jitterbit, users can automatically and quickly transfer data between different systems and data sources. Jitterbit offers its users a user-friendly interface.
Conclusion
To conclude, API integration brings with it incredible advantages for almost any business. By performing API integration, businesses can obtain any data they need as long as they need it. When it is needed, it can terminate the integration. In this way, it is very important for businesses.
Explore the API products listed under APILayer, and use the sample codes prepared for you during the integration process.
FAQs
Q: What Is the API (Application Programming Interface) Integration Platform?
A: It is a software application that provides users of the API integration platform with speed and efficiency in an API integration process. API integration management platforms provide their users with visual interfaces and many shortcuts. In this way, users can perform API integrations without the need for deep technology
Q: What Does APILayer Provide Developers for API Integration?
A: APILayer provides developers with sample integration codes for API integration. Each API listed under APILayer has its own powerful documentation. In this documentation, there are code examples of the API with explanations for multiple programming languages.
Q: How Does API Integration Improve the Customer Experience?
A: API integration directly enhances the customer experience. With API integration, businesses obtain data from external systems. With this data, businesses can provide more services and content to their customers.
Q: Do API integrations Positively Impact Business Processes?
A: Yes, they do. As the needs increase in businesses, new resources are sought. In such cases, API integrations are preferred to manage business processes in the fastest and most efficient way. With API integrations, businesses achieve great success with small costs.
