Phenixcrib Glossary: Application Programming Interface (API).

API - APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE

Application program interface ( API ) is a set of
routines, protocols , and tools for building software applications . An API specifies how software components should interact. Additionally, APIs are used when programming graphical user interface components.

 An API may be for an operating system , database system , web based system, computer hardware or software library. An API specification can take many forms, but often includes specifications for routines , data structures , object classes , variables or remote calls .