APIs and JSON

New idea

Not every answer is a page

Open a weather app and it shows 24 degrees for Cairo. But the app didn't download a web page. It sent an HTTP request like GET /weather?city=Cairo and got back only the data.

The set of requests a server offers to programs is called an API (Application Programming Interface). A web page is made for people to look at. An API answer is made for programs to read, and each app then draws it in its own style.

Why bother? The data is tiny, maybe 100 bytes instead of a page with its styles, scripts and pictures. And one API can feed the website, the iPhone app and the Android app at the same time.